Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel stirred controversy with her remarks cautioning young women against entering live-in relationships, saying such decisions could lead to tragic outcomes.
Speaking at the 47th Convocation Ceremony of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth in Varanasi on Thursday, the Governor said, “There have been many cases of live-in relationships these days. Stay away from such relationships and think carefully about your life decisions. You must have seen how some girls have ended up in fifty pieces.”
Expressing concern, she added, “For the past ten days, I’ve been hearing such distressing news. Why do our daughters do this? It pains me deeply.”
Patel mentioned that she had met several women who had been victims of live-in relationships, each with a different and painful story. She also referred to a conversation with a judge who, according to her, shared the same concern for women’s safety. “The judge told me that universities should start awareness campaigns so that girls do not fall prey to such situations,” she said.
Just two days earlier, while addressing another convocation in Ballia, the Governor made similar comments. She said that visiting an orphanage reveals the harsh consequences of live-in relationships. “You can see 15 to 20-year-old girls standing outside orphanages holding one-year-old babies,” Patel stated.
She further alleged that some girls are taken to hotels, exploited, and then abandoned. “These are not our values, but sadly, such incidents are happening,” she added.