Union tourism and culture minister Mahesh Sharma raked up a controversy when he advised tourists not to wear skirts while in the country. He also said that there would be an advisory to this effect, adding that foreign tourists visiting Mathura and Vrindavan should also have Indian sensitivities in mind. He did not spell out what those Indian sensitivities were. Responding to questions from the media about the safety of tourists in Agra during a press conference, Sharma said, “We give welcome kits to tourists when they land at the airport.

The kit includes a card with do’s and don’ts such as, do not venture out alone at night in small towns, do not wear skirts; take a picture of the registration number of the vehicle you use and send it to a friend…”. He also asked visitors to take a photograph of every vehicle's number plate as a precautionary measure while travelling. Sharma has now clarified that he "did not comment on what women should wear or not," and "was just speaking in context of religious places." Sharma, who visited Vatsalyagram in Vrindavan, also said the Samajwadi Party would eventually split into two groups, one led by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and the other by his uncle Shivpal Yadav. “Such a split between the ‘chacha-bhateeja’ would be good for the BJP,” he said, adding that Akhilesh was only “tolerating” Shivpal because of his father Mulayam Singh Yadav.