Prestige of vote bigger than a daughter's: Sharad Yadav

Senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav landed himself in controversy with remarks that a "vote's prestige is bigger than that of a daughter".
The former JD(U) chief made the remarks at a function here to emphasise the importance of votes.
"The importance of the ballot paper has to be told to everyone and everywhere ... Vote's prestige is bigger than the prestige of a daughter. If daughter's prestige is compromised, it will only affect a village and an area but if the vote's prestige is compromised or sold then it impacts the entire nation and the province," he said.
Yadav repeated his view a second time before ending his 30-minute speech with an appeal to people not to sell their votes.

"The prestige of ballot paper is bigger than that of daughter's. Don't sell it off. Go and tell the people in your area," he added.
With his comments stoking controversy, Yadav today said, "I haven't said anything wrong. Like the way we love, care and respect our daughters we should also do the same in case of votes than our society can become good, our country can develop and we can have a good government".

"Those who are taking it in wrong sense is not a good thing. Vote is the engine of our constitution...It is the driving force....Everyone has their own point of view so what can I say," he added.

The yesterday's function in Patna was organised by the Extremely Backward Class Cell (EBC) of the party yesterday to celebrate the birth anniversary of former Bihar Chief Minister and veteran socialist leader Karpoor Thakur.
Reacting on Yadav's controversial statement, JD(U) national general secretary K C Tyagi today said it has been taken wrongly.
"We Samajwadis have been of the view that daughter and vote are to be be given to superior person. If daughter is married to a wrong person, then only one family is destroyed but if vote is given to wrong person then it destroys entire nation ... This is not at all a sexist remark.

"We are sorry if it (Sharad's statement) has hurt the sentiments of any section of the society," Tyagi said.