india

Updated: Feb 20, 2019 17:17 IST

Newly sworn-in Telangana minister G Jagadish Reddy came in for some heavy trolling on social media for his off-the-cuff remarks on lack of representation of women in the state cabinet.

Soon after the swearing-in ceremony of the new ministers at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday, a few media persons sought Reddy’s opinion on the expanded cabinet’s composition. “It is a good and well-balanced cabinet. The chief minister has taken care to give due representation to all based on merit,” he said.

When it was pointed out that there was no representation of women in the cabinet, the minister, who was later given the portfolio of education, commented: “Women are at home, no?”

Taken aback at this reply, when the media persons sought to know what he meant by it, Reddy said, “Yes, they are the backing for us,” and left the place.

His comments, though not recorded on camera, went viral on social media when they were posted on Twitter. He was trolled by thousands of people in less than 24 hours.

Though the TRS has three women MLAs out of the 88 seats it had won in the December 7 assembly elections, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao did not induct even a single woman in the cabinet.

Even during his previous stint as chief minister from 2014 to 2018, KCR had not inducted any women into his cabinet.