Maharashtra rural development minister Pankaja Munde on Thursday defended the practice of not allowing women to perform pujas at Ahmednagar’s Shani Shingnapur temple, where women are traditionally barred from offering prayers. Munde said that traditional rituals cannot be linked with the insult of women, reported Hindustan Times. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader’s statement came after a woman breached security and performed a puja at the temple. Munde said that the outrage over the woman entering the Shani temple was “a non-issue”.

The Nationalist Congress Party criticised Munde’s statement, saying, “In a progressive state like Maharashtra, instead of appreciating the move to break the traditions that are against women, the BJP minister, by making such a statement, has taken state back to an era where women were not treated at par with men.”