A file photo of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with Minister for Women and Child Development Lakshmi Hebbalkar.
| Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K
Minister for Women and Child Development Lakshmi Hebbalkar broke down while speaking to reporters at her residence in Belagavi on December 20 about her experience in the Karnataka legislative Council, in the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi, on December 19.
“I was pained by the fact that none of the BJP members condemned BJP MLC C. T. Ravi insulting me. The legislative Council is supposed to be a House of seniors and the learned. But when Mr Ravi verbally assaulted me, they were sitting quietly. They should not have acted like Dhritarashtra,” she said referencing the Mahabharata.
“Some BJP members, who had heard the remark, came to me and apologised to me in person, but they did not condemn it openly. My party members stood by me, though,” she said.
“We were discussing the alleged insult to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the legislative Council. BJP member C. T. Ravi started saying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is a drug addict. When he started saying repeatedly, I countered him. I asked him why he was calling him a drug addict. I asked him if he was not a killer, as he had mowed down three persons in his vehicle? When I said this, he responded with an insulting remark. It is so bad that I find it difficult to repeat it before you. He used that abusive word not once, but 10 times in front of everyone in the Council. I am deeply hurt. I may be a Minister or a political leader, but I am a woman, a mother and sister.
“I called Mr Ravi a killer, as he repeatedly called Rahul Gandhi a drug addict. I am not backing away from it, though he may have denied that he insulted me,” she said in response to a query. “He may have denied it, but audio and video records are available. Camera footage is available. Several people have shared it on social media,” she said.
“There was no need to drag Rahul Gandhi’s name in the discussion on Dr Ambedkar’s alleged insult. I countered Mr Ravi by saying he had killed three people (in a car accident). I do not deny it,” the Minister said.
“I have worked hard to be where I am today. Starting as a common worker, I have grown in politics to become a Minister and represent all the women in Karnataka. I think I have inspired several women to come into politics. But if this is how we are treated, then it will discourage women from entering public life. Which woman will try to enter politics if this is how women are treated?”
“I am in deep shock. But I am not afraid of anyone. My son and daughter have offered me moral support. I am sure justice will prevail,” Ms Hebbalkar said.
Published – December 20, 2024 11:41 am IST