Kiren Rijiju downplays 'North Indian' remarks; says it applies to entire society not one section
The Minister said if citizens do not make it an ‘issue of concern’ then how will things get corrected?
New Delhi: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday sought to downplay his endorsement of a former Delhi LG's statement that north Indians "enjoy" breaking rules and said it was not indicated at one section but was applicable to the entire society. He said attempts to "politicise" his statement were wrong and added if there is any wrong happening in the society everyone was responsible for it.
"I think the LG had made the statement about 6-7 years back and I had said that what he said was correct but this is applicable to entire society and not to one section like north Indian, south Indian, east Indian or west Indian. It is not like that. It is applicable on all society and society has to understand that. We regularly come across reports of rape, murder and loot happening here and there and we should be worried about it," he said.
The Minister of State for Home said if citizens do not make it an "issue of concern" then how will things get corrected? "It is wrong if someone wants to politicise it (his statement)...All I meant was that if there is any wrong in society we are responsible for it and we should find out collective ways to correct or mend it," he said.
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Rijiju had on Wednesday said he agreed with the statement of a former Lt Governor of Delhi who had once remarked that north Indians "take pride in and enjoy" breaking rules.
"I was witness to a statement made by one of the Lt Governor's of Delhi some years back. He had stated that people of north India enjoy breaking the rules and by evening he was forced to apologise. But I believe what he said was right," he had said on the sidelines of a function for inauguration of a think tank on police-related subjects.
Though he did not name the Lt Governor, records show the comments were made by the then Delhi LG Tejinder Khanna who had said in February 2008 that "it is a speciality of north and west India that the people feel a sense of honour and pride in violating law and boasting that no action has been taken against them".