'Rapes are not committed by those who attend satsang'

Gujarat-based spiritual preacher Morari Bapu has a unique way for curbing rapes and crimes against women.

Morari Bapu, who is on a spree of delivering spiritual discourses in Goa, claims that attending 'satsangs' (spiritual discourses) can help bring down rapes and other crimes against women because such gatherings help attain wisdom.

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday night, the spiritual guru, who counts Prime Minister Narendra Modi among his "fans", also said voters should repeatedly ask their elected parliamentarians about why the women's reservation bill is being stalled and implore them to pass it without delay.

Asked if attending satsangs can bring down instances of rape in the country, Morari Bapu said: "As far as I understand, rapes are not committed by those who attend satsang. And satsang is not a religious function...It is a spiritual (experience)."

He also said a woman's body should never be subjected to "atrocities, injustice and rape", adding that people should aspire to change the way they look at women by attending satsangs.

Murari Bapu, who is known for his discourse on Ramcharitmanas, an epic written by Bhakti cult poet Tulsidas, also said he was not in agreement with the treatment meted out to Sita during the Agnipariksha, where, as the wife of Lord Rama, she was subjected to the rite of purification, which involved walking through fire.

Making a case for women having more rights than men in the current times, Morari bapu also said parliamentarians should not lose time in passing the 33 percent women's reservation bill and urged voters to nag their respective MPs.

"Voters should ask those same persons who they elect to parliament, about why it is stalled...," he said, adding that he made similar implorations to all elected representatives he met with, including Modi, in the past.

"I have told Modiji too. When he was the chief minister, we used to speak from the same stage," he said.