Days after making headlines and raising a storm on social media with his 'ripped jeans' statement, newly-elected Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat has struck again - this time with 'America ruled over India for 200 years'.
A video of the chief minister's speech tweeted by wire agency Asian News International shows Rawat saying, "America, which had enslaved us for 200 years...who ruled over the whole world, where the sun would never set...is shaken today (in the backdrop of Coronavirus)."
It's clear that Rawat has mixed the British empire with the United States in his speech.
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ANI has tweeted the video with a caption reading '#WATCH "...As opposed to other countries, India is doing better in terms of handling #COVID19 crisis. America, who enslaved us for 200 years and ruled the world, is struggling in current times," says Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat'.
In the nearly 2-minute-long clip that ANI has shared, Rawat further can be heard showering praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for dealing efficiently with the Coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking in Hindi, Rawat says, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised an awareness. I can say that had it been someone else in his place, India would have been in a position I cannot speak of. We would have been in a bad shape but he (Modi) worked towards giving us relief."
Rawat goes on to say, "India, a country of 130-135 crore people is comfortable (in the times of pandemic) today compared to other countries...where we had been enslaved by America for 200 years, a country which had ruled the world...where sun would never go down...but today America is shaken. The death rate there has crossed 2.75 lakh."
Rawat then shifts his focus on Italy saying death rate there has crossed 50 lakh and the country is moving towards another lockdown.
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He goes on to say, "Our prime minister Narendra Modi has worked towards saving but did we follow his instructions...when he said wear masks, use sanitizers, wash your hands regularly, maintain social distancing...people did it." At this point, the video ends.
Ripped Jeans Episode
Tirath Siingh Rawat had recently landed himself in a huge controversy after his remark on women wearing ripped jeans had created a Twitter storm.
According to news reports, the Uttarakhand CM had on March 16 said that he felt that women wearing ripped jeans 'cannot provide the right environment for children at home'.
An India Today report states that Rawat was talking about an incident when he had met a woman on a flight and how he was shocked to see this 'mother wearing ripped jeans and boots while she was on a flight with her children'.
The report further quoted Rawat saying "If such women go out in the society to meet people and solve their problems, what kind of message are we giving out to society, to our kids? It all starts at home. What we do, our kids follow. A child who is taught the right culture at home, no matter how modern he becomes, will never fail in life."
The newly-elected CM's controversial statement created a huge uproar on social media with #RippedJeansTwitter trending on the microblogging site and people taking shots at Rawat.
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Rawat apologised over his remarks on ripped jeans on March 19. According to a report published in the Indian Express, the CM said he 'has no problem with jeans but wearing "torn" ones is "not right".'
