Nitin Gadkari on live-in relationships: Violate norms, will destroy society

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that live-in relationships and same-sex marriages are “against the rules of society” and these would lead to the collapse of social structure.

Responding to a question about his views on live-in relationships during a YouTube podcast, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways remarked that live-in relationships were “wrong”.

The minister shared that he had once visited the British Parliament in London and asked the UK Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister about the major issues facing their country.

“They said the biggest problem in European countries is that men and women are not interested in getting married and are opting for live-in relationships,” Gadkari said.

When asked how this trend could affect society, the minister responded, “If you don’t marry, how will you have children? What will be the future of those children? If you dismantle the societal structure, what kind of impact will it have on people?”

Addressing whether India needs more or fewer children, the minister said,, “That’s not the question. It is the duty of parents to have children and raise them properly.”

“If you say you’ve had children for fun and then just look on without responsibility, this won’t work,” he added.

He asserted that live-in relationships “will destroy society”, emphasising “There are certain rules in society, and they should be followed”.

He further said that same-sex marriage would “lead to the collapse of the social structure”.

When asked whether divorces should be banned in an “ideal India”, he replied, “Of course not. But live-in relationships are not good”.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining a balanced sex ratio in the country. “If it reaches a point where there are 1,500 women and only 1,000 men, we may have to allow men to have two wives,” the minister remarked.

However, he concluded by saying that society will ultimately decide its own norms, while he merely pointed out what he believed to be wrong.

Notably, in October 2023, the Supreme Court refused to legalise same-sex marriages, but said that the states had the power to enact laws legalising queer marriages even in the absence of a central law.