Bengaluru: Hours after his reprehensible “revel in rape” commentary brought about big outrage, a senior Congress chief in Karnataka on Thursday apologised for what he referred to as his “detached and negligent” remark withinside the nation meeting. Controversially, he defined it as an “off-the-cuff commentary” in his clarification.
“My aim become now no longer trivialise or make mild of the heinous crime, however a casual commentary! I will select my phrases cautiously henceforth!” Congress MLA KR Ramesh Kumar wrote in a tweet final night.
The outrageous remark become made in the course of a dialogue on farmers’ problems whilst Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri puzzled how the consultation may be performed if time become allocated to everyone.
“Whatever you decide – I will say yes. What I am wondering is that allow us to revel in the scenario. I cannot manipulate or modify the system. My challenge is ready the enterprise of the house, it has additionally to be covered,” he asked.
To this, the Congress MLA stated: “There is a pronouncing that once rape is inevitable, lie down and revel in it. That is precisely the placement that you are in.” Shockingly, others withinside the nation meeting laughed in response.
But the remark become later met with large criticism. “The remark is obnoxious and outright disgraceful. He is a serial wrongdoer whilst he become the Speaker of the meeting he had made a comparable remark. Now again, he has repeated it. The Congress, which has continually claimed it’s miles there for women’s protection and security, have to right now provoke movement in opposition to this serial wrongdoer.” BJP chief S Prakash remarked.
In the nation meeting, the Congress chief these days stated, “If it (my remark) hurts the feelings of women, I’ve no trouble apologising. I apologise from the lowest of my heart.”
The apology become subsidized via way of means of the Speaker who become visible giggling on the remark: “He has apologized, let’s now no longer drag it in addition.”
Just mins earlier than he had refused to make any remark as reporters attempted to impeach him outdoor the meeting, a video tweeted via way of means of information organisation ANI showed.
Lashing out at his celebration colleague, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala this afternoon tweeted, “Congress Party disapproves the trade of quite objectionable & insensitive banter among Karnataka Assembly Speaker & Sr. Congress MLA withinside the House. (sic)”This isn’t the primary time that Mr Kumar, 72, has made such an objectionable remark. In 2019, he had as compared himself to a “rape survivor”.
Pointing to repeated connection with expenses in opposition to him on being a part of a few arguable audiotapes, he stated his “scenario become like that of a rape sufferer, as they too are supposedly puzzled approximately the incident repeatedly”.
Earlier this year, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra’s questionable response to the Mysore rape case, which sparked large protests, had additionally caused criticism. The gang-rape sufferer and her male pal ought to now no longer have long past to the abandoned place, he had stated.
Slamming the Congress for making it a political issue, the Home Minister in addition stated, “Rape has passed off there (in Mysuru), however the Congress become looking to rape me, they’re looking to rape the Home Minister. They are looking to advantage political mileage.”
The insensitive remarks from elected representatives come while the usa maintains to peer an uptick in crimes in opposition to women.