Jaipur, Sep 18 (IANS): Kota North MLA and former Cabinet minister Shantilal Dhariwal on Wednesday repeated his statement which drew ire from all communities during his tenure as minister and said that Rajasthan is a ‘state of men’.

"I still say that Rajasthan is a state of men. What is an issue in it... Warriors were born here. What should it be termed as if I don't call it a state of men," the MLA said.

Dhariwal drew strong criticism for his statement during his tenure as a minister under the Gehlot government while answering a query on a high number of rape cases being reported in the state.

Meanwhile, Dhariwal also took a dig at the Bhajan Lal government, saying, “This is a company that does bhajan-kirtan.”

He also made a veiled attack on the BJP government on women's safety issues and said that people have seen how safe women are in the state in the last eight months.

When asked about former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and veteran BJP leader Rajendra Rathore being sidelined, he said, "A person’s power has been reduced,” he said.

Regarding the Rajasthan by-polls, Dhariwal said that Congress is in a good position in the state and they will win.

“You see a strong Congress after the by-polls. The current BJP government has nothing new. They have neither any vision nor any plan. This is a company which does Bhajan Kirtan,” he said.