When Political Leaders Made Appalling Remarks on Rape

Indian politicians have a knack for making sexist comments, but when it comes to their understanding of rape it is nothing but unfortunate. Many politicians, from across political parties, have made, and continue to, make bizarre statements about rape. It just shows how little they empathise with the survivors.

How do we feel safe in a country where people elected to protect and uphold our rights pass such comments?

"We should learn from the past... specially in Mughal era, people used to marry their (young) girls to save them from Mughal atrocities and currently a similar situation is arising in the state. I think that's the reason khap has taken such a decision and I support it.”-

Om Prakash Chautala, Indian National Lok Dal leader, former Chief Minister of Haryana

“Earlier if men and women would hold hands, they would get caught by parents and reprimanded but now everything is so open. It’s like an open market with open options. Rapes happen because men and women interact freely.”

- Mamata Banerjee, All India Trinamool Congress founder and Chief Minister of West Bengal

"If we go into the details of rape cases and abductions, it is found that victims and accused in 90% of cases are runaway couples. So the cases are consensual"

Dharamvir Goyat, Haryana Pradesh Congress committee member

“Just because the country attained independence at midnight, is it proper for women moving at midnight? women should consider the timing and conditions while going out late. They should ensure that there is adequate number of passengers while boarding a private bus,”

 – Botcha Satyanarayana, Andhra Pradesh Congress Party leader

"To my understanding, consumption of fast food contributes to such incidents. Chowmein leads to hormonal imbalance evoking an urge to indulge in such acts.”

- Jitender Chhatar, Khap Panchayat leader

“Crimes against women happening in urban India are shameful. It is a dangerous trend. But such crimes won’t happen in ‘Bharat’ or the rural areas of the country. You go to villages and forests of the country and there will be no such incidents of gang-rape or sex crimes.”

- Mohan Bhagwat, Chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

“There is a moral limit, which should not be breached, and if it is breached, one must understand that Ravana is watching and then Sita is bound to be abducted…”

- Kailash Vijayvargiya, current National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party

"Rapes take place also because of a woman's clothes, her behaviour and her presence at inappropriate places.”

-Asha Mirje, Nationalist Congress Party leader

"If a woman is caught (in a rape case), then both she and the boy should be punished. In India, there is death penalty for rape, but when there's consensual sex outside marriage, there's no death penalty against women."

- Abu Azmi, Samajwadi Party leader and member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly

“This is a social crime which depends on men and women. Sometimes it’s right, sometimes it’s wrong.”

- Babulal Gaur, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and ex-Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh

 “Often if one person commits rape, four people are named in the complaint. Four people are named for rape, can it be possible? It is not practical. They probably say one was watching…another was there… If there are four brothers, then all four are named.”

- Mulayam Singh Yadav,  Samajwadi Party, ex-Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh

“How can you say gangrape? Gangrape means four-five people.”

- K J George, Indian National Congress member and former Home Minister of Karnataka

Also Read: Asifa another Nirbhaya: We need collective disobedience against rape in India