NEW DELHI: After his remark on APJ Abdul Kalam that the late former President “was a nationalist despite being a Muslim’ created a row , Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma has stoked another controversy by saying that girls wanting a night out is not acceptable in India.

“Girls wanting a night out may be all right elsewhere but it is not part of Indian culture,” Sharma told a private TV channel.

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The 54-year-old first time MP from Noida has been in the news for a string of comments which have been decried by opponents as “regressive” and an “assault on India’s composite culture”.

On his long association with the RSS, he said, “Has there been any act of RSS against national interest? Then why criticize RSS? What is wrong in discussing national policy with RSS?”

The minister also reiterated his support for meat ban in some states for Jain festival, saying, “Why is it wrong to ban meat for a few days if I want to respect some community? Don’t we have bans during navratras, don’t we have certain bans during Roza-Iftaaris? So what is wrong in respecting sentiments of a particular community? It is a small sacrifice for just two days.”

Sharma created a flutter with his remark on Kalam that was seen as a slight for the minorities. “Aurangzeb Road ka naam bhi badal kar ek aise mahapurush ke naam par kiya hai jo Musalman hote hue bhi inta bada rashtravadi aur manavtavadi insaan tha (We have renamed it after someone who was a humanitarian and a nationalist despite being a Muslim),” he had told another channel on Thursday.

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The remark triggered strong reactions from several opposition parties with Congress calling it “vicious” and steeped in British policy of ‘divide and rule’.

Sharma said, “I respect Bible and Quran but they are not central to the soul of India in same the way as Gita and Ramayana are.”

Earlier the minister had said, “My (Indian) values and books should be read before you read novels. Before the youth go to gain wisdom from Thailand, Dubai and Singapore, they must gain wisdom from our own museums and heritage.”

He had also talked about revamping institutions under the culture ministry, including the National School of Drama. “We have not been up-to-the-mark in presenting our Indian cultural heritage in a right way. We will totally revamp all these institutions after a detailed roadmap is prepared,” he said.

