Kejriwal’s ‘rapist-MPs’ remark angers politicians

Political parties across the spectrum Sunday slammed Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal for his “outrageous” remarks that “rapists, murderers and looters” were sitting in the Indian parliament.

The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) flayed the social activist for the insulting remarks and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) threatened to bring a privilege notice against Kejriwal in the budget session starting March 12.

Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said Kejriwal had insulted parliament and the people who elect MPs.

“Parliament has a majority of those people, who are willing to do anything for the country. They reach there through hard work. Such statements not only insult the democracy and parliament, but also insult the people of the country,” Alvi told reporters, a day after the Team Anna member was campaigning in Uttar Pradesh asking voters not to vote for candidates with criminal records.

Kejriwal said 163 MPs had cases of “heinious offences” registered against them.

“In this parliament, rapists are sitting. In this parliament murderers and looters are sitting,” he said at a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad.

The social activist was criticising politicians in general for refusing to pass the Jan Lokpal bill, the anti-graft legislation suggested by Anna Hazare and his team member.

Alvi also critized the media for for highlighting the “outrageous remarks” at prime slots. He said such comments “weaken democracy and the media shall not give them publicity”.

The BJP too reacted sharply and said the remarks by Kejriwal showed the “arrogant behaviour” of Team Anna.

“While trying to portray themselves as honest, some people create the impression that the whole world is dishonest. Such statements show that such people have no faith on Indian democracy, Indian constitution and parliament,” BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

Naqvi said there may be some people in parliament with criminal record but “for them you cannot bring an end to our parliamentary system or end to our democratic set up.”

“Such behaviour is unacceptable.”

RJD leader Ram Kripal Yadav said Kejriwal had “lost his mental balance”.

“He needs to be sent to a mental asylum,” Yadav said in Patna, asking the central government immediately arrest him on “sedition charges” because his “unsavioury remarks” were not only an “insult” to MPs but also to parliament and voters.

He said Kejriwal was acting at the “behest of some foreign forces” to “destabilise democratic system” of India.

Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan said “it is an attack on democracy and exposes (Team Anna’s) mentality.”

Paswan said this should be an eye opener for those politicians who were supporting Anna Hazare and were sharing stages with him, referring to BJP and other regional parties who shared stage with the social activist in Delhi during one of their anti-corruptin rallies.

“Ask all those who were supporting them by sharing stage with them,” Paswan said