Almost a week after BJP Lok Sabha MP Tirath Singh Rawat was sworn in as Uttarakhand chief minister, he has triggered a row with his remarks on women wearing ripped jeans. Uttarakhand CM Rawat said he was shocked to meet an NGO woman wearing ripped jeans while on a flight with kids.

Tirath Singh Rawat said, "If such women go out in the society to meet people and solve their problems, what kind of message are we giving out to society, to our kids? It all starts at home. What we do, our kids follow. A child who is taught the right culture at home, no matter how modern he becomes, will never fail in life."

"[Women] showing bare knees, wearing ripped denim and looking like rich kids These are the values being given now [at home]. Where is this coming from, if not at home?"

He blamed it on the influence of western culture on India's youth. Tirath Singh Rawat was speaking at a workshop organised by the Uttarakhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights in Dehradun.

Rawat said such things did not happen when he was in school. He said, "What is the fault of teachers or schools? Where am I taking my son, showing his knees and in tattered jeans? Girls are no less, showing their knees. Is this good?"

His remarks prompted Congress leader Sanjay Jha to take a potshot at Uttarakhand's chief minister. "Wearing "#rippedjeans" destroys our culture, it seems. It leads to substance abuse. And a societal breakdown. Women should strictly avoid this sacrilege against our pristine customs, says Uttarakhand CM," Jha wrote on Twitter.

Tirath Singh Rawat, 56, was made the Uttarakhand chief minister after the BJP was forced to replace Trivendra Singh Rawat. The former chief minister faced a rebellion within the party a year ahead of the next Uttarakhand Assembly election. Tirath Singh Rawat had won the 2019 Lok Sabha election from the Pauri constituency in Uttarakhand.