‘When rape is inevitable, enjoy it’: Karnataka Congress MLA in Assembly

Kumar, a former speaker of the House, said to the Speaker, “There’s a saying… when rape is inevitable, lie down and enjoy it. That’s exactly the position into which you are.” Kageri laughed in response.

A video of the incident has gone viral on social media.

Watch: Senior Congress leader K R Ramesh Kumar and #Karnataka Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri have sparked controversy after the former made a sexist comment in the ongoing #KarnatakaAssembly session in Belagavihttps://t.co/7o0PkmSTyH pic.twitter.com/ZbhiSJdPir

— Express Bengaluru (@IEBengaluru) December 17, 2021

The Congress leader made the comment as MLAs demanded time from the Speaker to discuss farmers’ issues in the Assembly.

Responding to this, Kageri asked members how he could run the session if time was allotted to everyone. Telling members to take a decision on their own, he looked at former speaker Kumar and said, “I feel, let’s enjoy the situation. I can’t keep this under control and take it forward in a systematic way.”

Responding to this, Kumar stood up and made the controversial comment. Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri is seen laughing in response.

Later, replying to a tweet about the incident, Kumar apologised and said, “It was not my intention to trivialise or joke about ‘rape!’ My sincerest apologies if I have offended you. But the situation in the House has deteriorated so much that I used that analogy! Will choose my words carefully in the future.”

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!

— K. R. Ramesh Kumar (@KRRameshKumar1) December 16, 2021

This is not the first time Kumar, who is also a TV actor, has used such remarks with regard to women.

#WATCH | Bengaluru: Karnataka Congress MLA Ramesh Kumar evades reporters’ questions on if he will apologise for his ‘rape’ remark made in the state Assembly, yesterday. pic.twitter.com/kUS1IVnIUx

— ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2021

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In February 2019, when he was speaker, he compared himself to a rape survivor. He made a statement during discussions in the Assembly on the Special Investigation Team probe into an audio clip controversy. The audio clip was allegedly of BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa in a purported conversation to lure a JD(S) MLA in his alleged attempt to topple the then-Congress-JD(S) government. Kumar pointing to repeated reference to charges against him, and said his situation “was like that of a rape victim, as they too are supposedly questioned about the incident repeatedly”.