'If it hurt, I apologise': Karnataka Congress MLA's response to outrage on cringe-worthy rape jibe
The fact that the assembly Speaker and the rest of the assembly members laughed off the so-called 'off-the-cuff' remark has raised concerns among the women activists about the mindset of the elected representatives.
FollowA day after Karnataka's Congress legislator KR Ramesh Kumar sparked off outrage over his pathetic rape analogy, the MLA has sort of apologised for his remarks. Cornered over his remarks made in the assembly on Thursday when he stated that 'when rape is inevitable, lie down and enjoy', Ramesh Kumar said that he had no problem in apologising if his remarks hurt the sentiments of women.
I apologise from the bottom of my heart, the Congress MLA said. At the same time, Speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri who was seen laughing at the cringe-worthy remark on Thursday, backed the MLA urging that the matter not be dragged any further since Ramesh Kumar had apologised.
Last night, when the video of his statement triggered a massive uproar on social media and outside the assembly, the MLA took to Twitter to apologise for what he termed as an off-the-cuff remark. He further tried to justify his actions by stating that his intention was not to downplay the heinous crime or trivialise it.
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The fact that the assembly Speaker and the rest of the assembly members laughed off the so-called 'off-the-cuff' remark has raised concerns among the women activists about the mindset of the elected representatives. NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma lashed out at Ramesh Kumar, saying it was extremely sad and unfortunate that the country still has public representatives who are misogynists. Terming the remarks as really disgusting in a series of posts on Twitter, she wondered how such public representatives, who sit in assemblies and speak like, would be behaving with women in their lives.
The Congress, meanwhile, broke its silence on the matter. Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said that the party disapproved of the exchange of highly objectionable and insensitive banter between the senior party MLA and the Karnataka Assembly Speaker in the House. The Speaker as custodian and senior legislators are expected to be role models and should desist from such unacceptable behaviour, he further said.
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