Archive · 20 Aug 2026
Madhya Pradesh BJP MLA’s ‘Maut Ka Samaan’ Remark Sparks Row
BJP MLA Panna Lal Shakya gave a speech at an event in Guna, Madhya Pradesh.
He started by talking about farmers, fertilisers and electricity.
He then discussed stories involving Sita, Draupadi and Sanyogita.
He said men had died in wars connected to these women.
While discussing Sita, he used the phrase “maut ka samaan,” meaning a cause or object of death.
Another BJP MLA, Priyanka Penchi, interrupted and said women had made sacrifices too.
Shakya defended his comments and asked her to sit down.
A video of the disagreement spread online.
Shakya later said his comments had been misunderstood.
BJP MLA Panna Lal Shakya used the phrase “maut ka samaan” while discussing Sita and Ravana’s story at an event in Guna.
Shakya said men, rather than women, died in conflicts associated with Sita, Draupadi and Sanyogita.
BJP MLA Priyanka Penchi interrupted him, saying women had also made sacrifices throughout history.
The exchange occurred during the Balaram Krishi Mahotsav and was recorded in a video that circulated widely online.
Congress leader Vivek Tripathi criticized Shakya, who later said the media had misunderstood his remarks.
- Who
- BJP MLA Panna Lal Shakya made the remarks; BJP MLA Priyanka Penchi objected, and Congress leader Vivek Tripathi criticized them.
- What
- Shakya linked women in religious and historical stories to conflicts in which men died and used the phrase “maut ka samaan.”
- When
- Tuesday; the articles do not provide a specific date.
- Where
- At the Balaram Krishi Mahotsav at the Nanakhedi agricultural market complex in Guna, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- Shakya was using examples from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the story of Prithviraj Chauhan to argue that men had died in conflicts associated with women.
Criticism of the Remarks
Shakya’s Stated Argument
Women’s historical role
Criticism of the Remarks
Priyanka Penchi said women had also made sacrifices and objected to a characterization she regarded as insulting. Vivek Tripathi said the remarks dismissed women’s contributions to society.
Shakya’s Stated Argument
Shakya argued that the stories he cited showed men dying in conflicts associated with women, while women were not killed in those battles.
Meaning of the Sita reference
Criticism of the Remarks
Critics viewed the use of “maut ka samaan” while discussing Sita as an offensive description of a revered female figure.
Shakya’s Stated Argument
Shakya later said he was misunderstood and was giving examples of people who insulted women and the consequences that followed.
Historical interpretation
Criticism of the Remarks
Penchi and Congress objected to presenting the cited stories primarily as evidence of women causing men’s deaths.
Shakya’s Stated Argument
Shakya defended his interpretation by citing the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the story of Prithviraj Chauhan and saying he had read many books.
- Speaker
- BJP MLA Panna Lal Shakya
- Event
- Balaram Krishi Mahotsav
- Location
- Nanakhedi agricultural market complex, Guna, Madhya Pradesh
- Contested phrase
- “Maut ka samaan,” translated in the reports as “cause” or “object of death”
- Examples cited
- Sita, Ravana, Draupadi, Prithviraj Chauhan and Sanyogita
- On-stage objection
- Priyanka Penchi said Shakya was overlooking sacrifices made by women
- Political reaction
- Congress leader Vivek Tripathi criticized the remarks
- Later explanation
- Shakya said the media had misunderstood his comments and that he was describing the consequences faced by people who insulted women
