"If Girl Mature At 16...": Samajwadi MP's Shocker On Marriage Age

Two Samajwadi Party leaders have come under criticism for expressing regressive views on the legal age for marriage of women.

A day after the union cabinet approved the proposal to increase the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years, two Samajwadi Party leaders have come under criticism for expressing regressive views while opposing the move. While one linked marriage with fertility in women, the other appears to be justifying early marriage because of poverty in the country. Party chief Akhilesh Yadav rushed to distance himself from these comments. #WATCH | Girls should be married when they attain age of fertility. There is nothing wrong if a mature girl is married at 16. If she can vote at age of 18, why can't she marry?: Samajwadi Party MP ST Hasan on Govt's decision to raise legal age of marriage for women to 21 years pic.twitter.com/UZxHrMcjrh

Girls should be married when they attain the age of fertility, said Samajwadi Party MP Syed Tufail Hasan. Speaking to news agency ANI, Mr Hasan said, "The fertility age of women ranges from 16-17 years to 30 years. Proposals for marriage start coming at the age of 16. If the marriage is delayed, there are two disadvantages: One is the possibility of infertility. The second is that children are not settled when one is ageing. When you are in your last decade or so of life, your children are still students. We are breaking the natural cycle."

"I believe that when a girl is mature and attains the age of fertility, she should get married. If a girl is mature at 16, she can get married at 16. If she can vote at 18, why can't she get married?" he added.