New Delhi: Known for his controversial remarks, India’s Union Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma has advised foreign tourists visiting India not to wear skirts and to refrain from going out alone at night in small towns.
“We are planning that, when tourists arrive at the airport, they be given a welcome kit which has a card with dos and don’ts. It has instructions like if they are in small areas, they should not roam around alone at night or wear skirts,” the minister said late on Sunday evening in Agra, while responding to media queries on what the government plans to do for tourist safety.
Further saying, as minister, it was his right and job to ensure the safety of foreign tourists, Sharma said the government at times released advisories just like other nations, for the safety of the visitors.
He said India was a “cultural country” where certain dress codes were observed while visiting public places.
After coming under fire for suggesting this, Sharma on Monday clarified that his statement was only in reference to religious places so that the sanctity of the holy places was maintained.
“I am a father of two daughters. I would never tell women what they should wear or not. All I said was that if they enter a temple they should take off their shoes and cover their heads if they are entering a Gurdwara, that’s all,” Sharma told Gulf News.
He denied charges that he had said that people should not roam around alone at night and said that he has not prevented anyone from doing so and was just asking the tourists to maintain caution and there as nothing wrong in doing so.
Reacting to Sharma’s statement, Aam Admi Party leader Kapil Mishra on Monday said such words will bring shame to India on the global stage.
“Such an advisory not only tarnishes the image of India, but also has a negative and deleterious impact on the tourism sector. This may be a first-of-its-kind instance in the world. The central government is issuing an advisory that will only have a negative effect,” Mishra said.
Mishra said foreign tourists always respected the religious and cultural ethos of India.
“If at all some religious places have their own rules and restrictions, foreign tourists always followed them in letter and spirit. It is confounding as to what was the need to issue an overarching advisory that covers all tourist spots in India,” he added.
Last year, Sharma said that girls wanting a night out was “not acceptable in India”.
