Panaji, April 7 (IANS): After there were reports of his wife's comments about Western culture causing rape, Goa Minister for Factories and Boilers Deepak Dhavalikar defended her statement, claiming his spouse has never been eve-teased because she wears sarees.

In a public endorsement of his wife comments, Dhavalikar, who dodged queries from journalists all through Monday, said rapes were fewer in the past because of non-infiltration of the Western culture.

"She has lived her entire life wearing kumkum and sarees. She was never a victim of eve-teasing. That is what she must have explained to people," Dhavalikar has been quoted as saying in media reports on Tuesday.

"In the past, rape cases were less because they (women) adhered by Hindu dharma and now such cases are on the rise because of the western style of living," he has been quoted as saying.

In a meeting organised by the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti on Sunday, Lata Dhavalikar said: "Incidents of rape are on the rise, largely owing to the fact that women have adopted western culture."

Deepak Dhavalikar, who along with his brother Sudin, is a senior leader of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, a regional political outfit which is a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party ruling alliance in Goa.

In April last year, Deepak Dhavalikar demanded the formation of a Hindu nation under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.