india

Updated: Feb 13, 2019 15:54 IST

Karnataka Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar’s statement that he ‘felt like a rape victim’, drew condemnation from former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti who also took a jibe at other lawmakers for laughing at the ‘bizarre’ comment.

“No sir you cannot feel like a rape victim. Clearly you have no idea what a woman who is assaulted has to endure. This twisted analogy is bizarre and sick. Whats more disturbing is that fellow lawmakers break out into peals of laughter,” the former CM, who is also the chief of the People’s Democratic Party, said.

Speaking about a controversial audio clip in which it was alleged that he had been influenced with a payment of Rs 50 crore, Kumar said on Tuesday that he felt like a rape victim, who might have been raped only once but was made to relive the incident a 100 times in court.

“My situation is like that of a rape victim. The rape happened once and if it was left at that it would have passed. But because a complaint was made, the accused’s advocate will ask in court how the rape was done? For how long it happened?” Kumar said.

“After the rape victim comes out, when asked if they got justice they reply that the accused raped only once but in court it was done a 100 times. My situation is such that whoever broached it, I have been brought to the street,” Kumar said in an apparent attempt at jest. Not a single lawmaker raised an objection to the statement, with many falling over in laughter and thumping the desk.

The discussion in the Assembly was centred on the Speaker’s suggestion to Kumaraswamy on Monday to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the clip and submit a report in 15 days to help clear Kumar’s name.

This was opposed by the BJP leaders who argued that a House committee was a more appropriate institution to probe the allegations. Breaking his silence on the matter in the House, former chief minister Yeddyurappa admitted that a meeting had occurred in Devdurga in Raichur district. However, he alleged that the chief minister had put out a fabricated clip of the meeting.