Union Home Minister of State Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday echoed a statement made by former Lt Governor of Delhi who had once said 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," PTI quoted Rijiju as saying.
Commenting further on the "indisciplined" north Indians, Rijiju said that the police should not be blamed for everything as public too are at fault. He said that the police resorts to beating only when people continuously break laws.
"Many people say police has become very rude. Police will be rude only if citizens are indisciplined. If people are disciplined, then police will not be rude. But there is a general saying here that until you beat them with a stick, people don't listen," he said.
"So if people are not showing the right conduct and they are indisciplined and they don't listen even when told once, twice or ten times, police will have to use stick to make them listen."
Rijiju's remark made at a function for inauguration of a think tank on police-related subjects may land him in controversies.
He refrained from naming the former Governor, but it was 2008 Delhi LG Tejinder Khanna who had said, "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".
However, Khanna had to take back his words following protest from the BJP and the Congress.
Rijiju also launched his verbal attack against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had recently called the Delhi police "most corrupt" under Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government, citing the findings of a CMS survey.
"Kejriwal keeps on saying that Delhi police did not do something or the other but if he, himself, will not not correct his approach what could the police do?" (aap (Delhi CM) khud nahi sudhrogey toh police kya karega)," Rijiju said.
He further added that if women feel unsafe in the society then there is something wrong in the society.
"There is something wrong in society. We have to accept. We are very good in criticizing others (but) we don't accept (our mistakes). I am very critical of my own conduct, my own system and my own society if they are not perfect. If we don't criticize and develop ourselves, how will we improve?" he said.
