A row broke out on September 27 over the comments of a Madhya Pradesh Congress leader that the bachelor status of RSS leaders was at the root of scandals like the honeytrap case, prompting the BJP to say that these reflected a “depraved mindset”.
Manak Agarwal also advised leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to get married.
The State police recently busted a gang which allegedly entrapped officials and politicians using attractive women and later blackmailed them for money or government contracts.
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“The honeytrap case started when Shivraj Singh Chouhan was Chief Minister. This case is spread across five or six states where the BJP is the ruling party,” Mr. Agarwal told
“One of the major reasons for the honeytrap case is that people from the RSS do not marry,” he claimed.
Mr. Agarwal, a former chief of the State Congress’s Media Cell, went on to claim that other people including bureaucrats and traders are also involved in the case but “most a majority are from the BJP and the RSS”.
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‘Depraved mindset’
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and senior BJP leader Gopal Bhargava said that Mr. Agarwal’s comments reflected a depraved mindset.
“I know of several unmarried persons across political parties including the Congress. He is questioning the character of all such people. RSS leaders are patriots and work for the country with dedication,” Mr. Bhargava said.
Only full-timers of the Sangh remain bachelor and not all RSS members, he added.
“Agarwal’s comment is vile and unhealthy,” he said.
The alleged honeytrap scandal in the state came to light with the arrest of six people including five women from Bhopal and Indore on September 19.