Dehradun: A day after Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat’s ripped jeans remark created a social media furore, his wife has come forward in his defence, saying his words were not being presented in full context. In a statement through a video, Rawat’s wife Rashmi Tyagi on Thursday said that the entire context in which he made the comment is not being described.

”He (Tirath Singh Rawat) said that women’s participation is unprecedented in building the society and the country. It is the responsibility of the women of our country to save our cultural heritage, save our identity, save our costumes,” Rashmi, who has been Miss Meerut, clarified.

Uttarakhand’s new CM Rawat while speaking at a workshop organised by the Uttarakhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights in Dehradun on Tuesday said that he was shocked to see a woman running an NGO in ripped jeans, and was concerned about the kind of example she was setting for the society. The Uttarakhand chief minister said due to a lack of values, youngsters these days follow strange fashion trends and consider themselves to be big shots after wearing jeans ripped at the knees, while women also follow such trends.

”If this kind of woman goes out in the society to meet people and solve their problems, what kind of message are we giving out to the society, to our kids? It all starts at home. What we do, our kids follow,” he said. “A child who is taught the right culture at home, no matter how modern he becomes, will never fail in life,” he added.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said he was ”shocked” by Rawat’s statement. In a statement, Uttarakhand Congress chief Pritam Singh termed Rawat’s remarks ”shameful” and demanded that he apologise to women. State Congress spokesperson Garima Dasauni added that it doesn’t behove a chief minister to make a derogatory remark about someone’s sartorial choices and said such comments can hurt public sentiment. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) slammed Rawat over his ”distasteful” remarks.

Reacting to his statement, a social media campaign with hashtags such as #GirlsWhoWearRippedJeans and #GreetingsFromMyNakedKnee are also currently trending on Twitter. Social media users especially women are now sharing photos of themselves in ripped jeans, as mark of protest.