New Delhi: After landing in hot water due to his comment during the Rajasthan assembly, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal on Thursday tendered an apology saying it was "a slip of tongue". Meanwhile, BJP demanded his resignation and shouted slogans against him.
It was a slip of tongue. I feel sorry for that. I wanted to say something for the desert state. I personally respect women and will continue to do so. If my comments have hurt anyone, I apologise, Dhariwal said according to a PTI report.
Leader of the Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria said this was an insult to women, the public and brave men. They were later expunged. Though Speaker CP Joshi asked Kataria not to raise the matter during the Question Hour, the Opposition continued its uproar and demanded Dhariwal's resignation.
The Speaker said Dhariwal had visited his chamber and had confessed that his comment was unintentional, reported PTI.
During the Rajasthan Assembly, on Wednesday night, the demand for grants to the police & jails Dhariwal was laid during which Dhariwal said, "We are number one in rape cases, what are the reasons for these rape cases now? Somewhere there is a mistake."
"Anyway, Rajasthan has been a men's state, now what to do with it," he added.
None of the Congress ministers stopped Dhariwal instead it made MLAs chuckle. According to IANS, Dhariwal said, "Look at the cases of rape, the figures of rape and rape with murder are different. Rajasthan is at number 11 in rape with murder. Uttar Pradesh stands at number one in rape with murder. Madhya Pradesh is on two, Assam on three, Maharashtra at number four, Orissa at number five...."
"Rajasthan is at number one in the case of rape, there is no doubt about it. Uttar Pradesh is at number two, Madhya Pradesh at number three, Assam at number five and Haryana at number six. The wrong figures given by BJP regarding this have been rectified," he added.