Congress MLA Ramesh Kumar apologises for his disgraceful ‘enjoy rape’ remark in Karnataka Assembly

Editorial comments

• Just an apology is not enough for such a statement; he should be disqualified from the legislature and sent to jail !
• Congress President Sonia Gandhi, General Secretary Priyanka Vadra must comment about this, otherwise, the people will think that they are insensitive despite being women !

Bengaluru (Karnataka) – Congress MLA and former Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar, after facing backlash at all levels, has apologised for his remark ‘When rape is inevitable, lie down and enjoy it’ that he made while addressing the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. ‘My intention was not trivialising or make light of the heinous crime, but an off the cuff remark ! I will choose my words carefully henceforth! (sic)’, tweeted Ramesh Kumar.

#CongRapeComment | SHOCKER: Congress leader passes shocking comment on rape in Karnataka Assembly, lawmakers laugh!

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Congress MLAs in the Assembly were asking for time to speak on the damage caused by rains in the State; however, Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri was trying to avoid it. Kageri said, ‘My position is like a person who would enjoy something when it is inevitable or cannot be brought under control’. (If the rains have caused damage in the State, the people will feel the need to discuss it. The question arises, ‘How can the Speaker of the Assembly deny them ?’ – Editor) Responding to this, MLA Ramesh Kumar said, “There is a saying, ‘When rape is inevitable, lie down and enjoy it’. You are just in the same situation”. Some MLAs present in the House were seen laughing at his statement.

Ramesh Kumar had commented about rape in the past too !

In February 2019, Ramesh Kumar had compared himself to a rape victim while he was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. He had said, “My condition is like that of a rape victim. The rape happened only once. Had it been left there; it would have been over. The accused is sent to jail on a complaint of rape. At the end of the trial, the victim says, ‘the rape actually happened once; however, it happened several times during the cross-examination in Court’. My situation is just similar”. At that time, his party’s women MLAs had protested against this statement.