BJP MLA Ram Kadam called 'Ravan' for promising to kidnap girls for men

A BJP MLA landed himself in hot water when he promised young men that he would kidnap girls for them.

Ram Kadam was addressing a gathering in Marathi during the Dahi Handi in his Ghatkopar constituency in Mumbai on Monday when he made the controversial remarks. 

A video of his speech went viral. In his speech, he offered to kidnap women if they declined marriage proposals. 

The MLA could be heard giving his phone number and added that he had already received a lot of requests. 

Kadam faced a lot of backlash for his comments. The National Congress Party was one of the first to comment and labelled the BJP MLA as 'Ravana'. The Maharashtra NCP spokesperson, Nawab Malik said, "What Kadam said has revealed the Ravana-like face of the BJP. Kadam said he would abduct a girl for a boy. Therefore, he should be called as 'Ravana' Kadam," according to India Today.

NCP leader Jayant Patil told The Tribune, "Cases should be filed against Kadam if a girl is kidnapped in Maharashtra as the MLA himself is encouraging their kidnapping." Patil went on to say that he should apologise for his comments.

Maharashtra's Shiv Sena slammed Kadam. Aaditya Thackeray tweeted, "One BJP MLA has offered from a stage to help boys kidnap girls and marry them even against the will of the girls. I guess he believes marriage is like forming a govt. Ashamed and disgraced that he sits in the legislative assembly of Maharashtra — a land of culture & women liberty".

When questioned about the video and his comments caught on camera, Kadam told reporters that his words were 'misconstrued'. He went on to say that they were taken out of context and that he meant it as a joke. Kadam said, "If anyone is hurt by my statement, I extend my apology."

The BJP unit in Maharashtra stated that they would let Kadam explain his words and distanced themselves from the controversy.