Hindus should take oath not to cut cakes on birthdays and instead should visit temples, said Union minister Giriraj Singh (pictured above) on Monday. He said that by cutting cakes on birthdays Hindus were ”moving towards western culture”.

“In Indian culture, there is no tradition to cut a cake. It is unfortunate that we are moving towards western culture despite the fact that our own culture is strong and old,” he said according to IANS.

Singh said children these days were addressing their parents as “mummy” and “papa” instead of “maiya” and “pitaji”. “Words like ‘maiya’ and ‘babuji’ have an emotional connection,” said the minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises.

He also urged all Hindus to remain united to “protect” the Hindu religion. “Unless we are united, religion will not be saved,” the minister said. Singh also claimed that Muslims cannot be treated as a minority in India as their population stands at 21 crore.