DK Shivakumar condemns Karnataka Congress MLA's rape remark

Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar on Friday condemned senior party leader KR Ramesh Kumar over his remark "to enjoy rape when it is inevitable" and said that the insensitive remarks against women are contrary to the values of gender equality the party champions.

Taking to Twitter, Shivakumar said, "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."

Earlier on Thursday, Kumar, a former Assembly Speaker, had said, "There is a saying that when rape is inevitable, lie down and enjoy it. That is exactly the position in which you are."

This statement had created uproar in the country, with many demanding his sacking as an MLA and protest in the state Assembly.

Following this uproar, Kumar apologized on the floor of the Karnataka Assembly for his remark.

"... I don't want to be defensive. Whatever I have said last night, if it hurts anybody's sentiment, I would like to apologize for the statement. I don't have any ego issues. I respect everybody. We all are here to uphold the dignity of the Assembly," he said while speaking in the Assembly today.

Reacting to his apology, Shivakumar further tweeted, "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."

( With inputs from ANI )

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