Union Minister's Misspelling of 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' Goes Viral

During a recent school visit in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, Union Minister and BJP leader Savitri Thakur unintentionally misspelled 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' in Hindi on a whiteboard. The moment was captured on camera and has gained attention on social media platforms.

Instead of 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao', Thakur ended up writing 'Beti Padao Bachav' during her visit to a school in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, which has since been widely shared on social media. According to Savitri Thakur's election affidavit, she studied till Class 12.

The incident occurred during an event called 'School Chalo Abhiyan' on Tuesday (June 18) at a government school in Dhar. Thakur, who serves as the Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development, was invited as the chief guest for the program.

The incident sparked a disagreement between the Congress and the BJP. Responding to the viral video, senior Congress leader KK Mishra remarked that it was unfortunate for democracy when individuals holding constitutional positions struggle to write in their native language.

"How can they be capable of running their ministry?" he was quoted as asking by news agency PTI.The Congress leader also suggested that the Constitution should be changed to set a minimum educational requirement for candidates in elections.

"On the one hand, the country's citizens are being claimed to be literate, while on the other hand, there is lack of literacy among the responsible people. So what is the truth? This is an issue related to the system and not to any individual," KK Mishra, media advisor to MP Congress president Jitu Patwari, said.

BJP's Dhar President Manoj Somani criticized the Congress, describing their reaction to the viral video as stemming from "petty and anti-tribal thinking."  "Savitri Ji's feelings and her sentiments are pure. Congressmen are unable to keep their sentiments pure. The tribal community will not forgive the insult of a tribal woman," Somai added.

He suggested that Savitri Thakur's error occurred because she was in a rush and excited during the school event. He also mentioned that Congress struggled to accept the "rising prominence of a simple, tribal woman."

Umang Singhar, the Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly and a Congress leader who hails from Dhar, also criticized Savitri Thakur for the viral video. "What kind of leadership is this? Does Prime Minister Narendra Modi want only rubber stamp ministers in his government? There is no set standard for how a public representative should be, but at least it should be literate," he wrote on X.

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