Sparking a controversy, a Congress candidate for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election has mentioned the marriage of his daughter as a “liability” in his affidavit submitted along with his nomination papers.

Under the liabilities column of the affidavit submitted before the election authorities, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat, a Congress candidate from the Ganderbal Assembly constituency, has written “unmarried daughter’s marriage.”

Mr. Bhat, however, defended his affidavit saying that a “wrong impression” was being created.

“My daughter is not a burden on me as is being said. My sons are earning but my daughter is not. So she is dependent on me. I do not think there is any problem when I say my daughter is dependent on me and I have to take care of her marriage. A wrong impression is being created,” Mr. Bhat said.

He said the marriage of a daughter was the responsibility of a father and there was “more responsibility when the daughter is not earning”.