Union Minister Nitin Gadkari stated that live-in relationships and same-sex marriages are “against societal norms” and could result in the breakdown of the social structure.
Responding to a question about his views on live-in relationships during a YouTube interview, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways stated that live-in relationships are “wrong.”
“I went to the British Parliament in London where I met the Prime Minister and the foreign minister, and they asked what the biggest issue in their country was. I said poverty, unemployment, starvation, etc. When I asked them the same question, they said the biggest issue in European countries was that the majority of the young population was not getting married,” Nitin Gadkari said during an interview with independent journalist Samdish Bhatia.
Gadkari on live-in relationships
When asked how that affects a country, Gadkari responded, “How will children be born, what will be their future.”
“If you dismantle the social lifestyle, what kind of impact will it have on people?” Gadkari added.
Addressing whether India needs more or fewer children, the minister said, “That’s not the question. It is the duty of parents to have children and raise them properly… If you some day say you have had children for fun and then just look on without responsibility, this won’t work.”
“Why is this society stable, the proportion of ladies and gents is right, tomorrow if the proportion of ladies will be 1500 and men will be 1000 then we would have to permit men to have two wives,” Gadkari said, adding that same-sex marriage would “lead to the collapse of the social structure.”
When asked whether divorces should be banned in an “ideal India,” Gadkari responded, “Of course not. But live-in relationships are not good.”
Gadkari concluded by stating that society will ultimately decide its own norms, adding that he was merely pointing out what he believed to be wrong.