Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has courted a fresh controversy after he expressed his ‘fear’ over ‘even’ girls starting to drink beer in the western coastal state.
“I have begun to fear now, because even the girls have started drinking beer. The tolerance limit is being crossed,” Parrikar was quoted by news agency PTI. He made the controversial comments while addressing the State Youth Parliament, an event organised by the state Legislature Department.
“I am not talking about everyone. I am not talking about these people who are sitting here,” he said.
Parrikar also went on to discuss the vices of ganja, drugs and porn while sharing his anecdotal experiences with the youth at the gathering. Recounting one of his experiences from his time at IIT-Mumbai, the chief minister said that drugs are no longer a new phenomenon, as he knew of “a small group which was involved in ganja” on the campus years ago.
He said that a section of students in his school days would often laugh at photographs, while saying, “do not have to say what kind of photos they were. They used to get all kinds of porn material and they used to laugh…”
He added, “How many agree? Now you will realise. Basically, I can tell you that it is not to that extent, but we are definitely worried because the drug syndicate works like this. You try to introduce it in some corner, a small group is formed and from them, it reaches out to others and more people are trapped.”
Twitter users consisting mostly women launched a hashtag “#GirlsWhoDrinkBeer to troll the former defence minister. Women users posted their photos with a beer glass while others took a personal jibe at him. The hashtag “#GirlsWhoDrinkBeer remained a top Twitter trend all throughout Saturday afternoon.
Here are some of the comments;
#GirlsWhoDrinkBeer is better than men who drinks Desi pic.twitter.com/RE6kAjYm8C
— Being नास्तिक (@Being_nastik) February 10, 2018
#GirlsWhoDrinkBeer drink single malts too and then #LaughLikeSoorpnaka
Hawwww pic.twitter.com/21P9wkegwl— Lola Kuttiamma (@Priya_Menon) February 10, 2018
Oh my, how patriarchal and sexist. Cheers all #girlswhodrinkbeer pic.twitter.com/6Cnsg7GsXY
— Harinder Baweja (@shammybaweja) February 10, 2018
Hey @manoharparrikar. I know women who drink beer, wine, vodka & whiskey & some smoke pot too. They’re all smart, self-sufficient, strong women who don’t need your approval. That said, even when totally wasted, they make more sense than you do. #GirlsWhoDrinkBeer #GuysWhoTalkShit
— VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) February 10, 2018
Sometimes I join dad too. #GirlsWhoDrinkBeer pic.twitter.com/nYEO9H4kvy
— NRK (@PWNeha) February 10, 2018
#GirlsWhoDrinkBeer with their fathers who drink beer pic.twitter.com/t0Fqxg4O5S
— Veena Venugopal (@veenavenugopal) February 10, 2018
I see your fear, Mr Parrikar, and raise you this giant mug. #GirlsWhoDrinkBeer pic.twitter.com/B7mnVineti
— Shikha (@TheCommanist) February 10, 2018