Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar has issued a public condemnation for his own colleague, who made controversial remarks inside the state assembly making fun of rape.
Shivakumar tweeted, “The Congress party condemns the words spoken by one of our own legislators in the Karnataka assembly. The insensitive remarks against women are contrary to the values of gender equality the Congress party champions.”
He added, “While we note that the legislator has tendered an apology, the incident in the assembly is a sign that all of us men in politics need to do better to shed our inherent regressive attitudes towards women.”
The video of Karnataka Congress MLA KR Ramesh Kumar making objectionable comments about rape had gone viral on social media. In the viral video, Speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri was seen laughing at the Congress MLA’s remarks.
#SHOCKING #Karnataka #MLAs #triviliazes #Rape in #assembly *There is a saying, When rape is inevitable, lie down and enjoy it' says former Speaker and congress MlA #RameshKumar during seeking more time on farmer issues. While current speaker Kageri laughs it off. pic.twitter.com/sWgQGK9jmi
— Imran Khan (@KeypadGuerilla) December 16, 2021
Speaker Kageri could be seen saying in the video, “Whatever you decide – I will say yes. What I am thinking is that let us enjoy the situation. I can’t control or regulate the system. My concern is about the business of the house, it has also to be covered.”
This had prompted Kumar to say, “There is a saying that when rape is inevitable, lie down and enjoy it. That is exactly the position which you are in.”
The Congress lawmaker’s objectionable comments were met with laughter from the Speaker and other members of the Karnataka Assembly.
The video had evoked angry reactions from netizens. Faced with public backlash, Kumar issued a public apology as he wrote, “I would like to express my sincere apologies to everyone for the indifferent and negligent comment I made in today’s assembly about “Rape!” My intention was not trivialise or make light of the heinous crime, but an off the cuff remark! I will choose my words carefully henceforth!”
