Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has courted a controversy with his remarks that "some people are now saying that as Kashmir is open, brides will be brought from there".
Khattar was expressing concern over low sex ratio in Haryana at an event in Fatehabad on Friday when he made the remarks in an apparent reference to the scrapping of the special status for Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution.
"Now some people say, Kashmir is open, they (brides) will be brought from there. But jokes apart, if (sex) ratio is improved, then there will be a right balance in society," he said.
His remarks drew flak from various quarters, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi terming them "despicable".
Reacting to the criticism, the chief minister accused the media of "running a misleading and factless campaign" against him and shared on Twitter a full video of the event.
"Daughters are our pride. Daughters of entire country are our daughters," Khattar tweeted while clarifying his .