Patna, June 6: In a controversial statement issued by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Surendra Singh, the legislator compared government officials to "prostitutes". He further recommended his supporters to "thrash them with shoes" if they ask for bribe.

Singh, while addressing a gathering in Patna, blamed the government staffers for the lack of services being provided to the common man. While drawing an analogy with the sex workers, the UP MLA said even she fulfills her task after being paid, unlike the government officials who "fail to discharge their duties despite being bribed".

"Officials se accha charitra vaishyaon ka hota hai, woh paisa lekar kam se kam apna kaam toh karti hain aur stage pe naachti hain. Par yeh officials toh paisa lekar bhi aapka kaam karenge ki nahi, iski koi guarantee hi nahi hai (Prostitutes are better than government officials; at least for money they do their work well and also entertain us by dancing on the stage. But these officials even after taking the money they will not guarantee of the work being done)," Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.

Singh also recommended the gathering to use a voice recorded while visiting government offices to trap the officials seeking bribe.

Singh, who represents the Rohaniya constituency in Uttar Pradesh assembly, had wrested the seat from Samajwadi Party's Mahendra Singh Patel in the elections held last year.

The legislator had raked a controversy in the past month as well, blaming the liberal approach of parents combined with the use of smartphones by youngsters for the rising number of rape cases.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 06, 2018 09:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).