Rajth asks ministers to be cautious while making statements

Rijiju sparks controversy in Delhi

From a Correspondent

New Delhi, Oct 23: Union Home Minister Rajth Singh on Friday pulled up his deputy Kiren Rijiju and Minister of State for Exterl Affairs VK Singh, asking them to be cautious while making any public statement.

"Both VK Singh and Rijiju have given their clarifications over their respective statements, but I think that all of us should remember that we are workers of the ruling party and we have certain responsibilities towards the people, which is why we need to be extra careful and cautious while making a statement or putting forth our views," Rajth said following controversies over statements of the duo.

Singh triggered a huge row on Thursday when he used an alogy of stoning a dog while commenting on the burning of two Dalit children in a Harya village by upper caste villagers. His colleague Rijiju was criticised for supporting a former LG's statement that "North Indians take pride in breaking the rules".

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked Rijiju not to divide Indians, whereas Congress said that his statement is an insult to the entire tion.

"Please don't divide Indians into North and south Indians, Hindus and Muslims. All Indians are good. It is politics that we need to improve," said Kejriwal while criticizing Rijiju.

Echoing the view, Congress spokesperson, Randip Singh Surjewala said, "The statement of Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju describing all North Indians as crimils as they take pride in violating the law is an insult to the entire tion."

In a programme in Delhi on Thursday, Rijiju said that he agreed with the statement of a former Lieutent 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 Lieutent Governor of Delhi some years back. He had stated that people of north India enjoy breaking the rules. By evening he was forced to apologize. But I believe what he said was right," said Rijiju on the sidelines of the iuguration of a think tank on police-related subjects.

Though Rijiju did not me the Lt Governor, it was Delhi LG Tejinder Khan who had reportedly said in 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."

Following an uproar, Rijiju was, however, quick to backtrack and said his statement was not directed at one section but was applicable to the entire society.

Rijiju said attempts to "politicize" his statement were wrong.

"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 to the entire society and the society has to understand that," said Rijiju.