Siti Ravi was arrested from Belagavi on Thursday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements
Former minister and former BJP national general secretary CT Ravi was arrested on Thursday for making obscene remarks against women and child development minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar on the floor of the Legislative Council.
The incident, which sparked protests and angry scenes inside and outside the House, brought the winter session of the Legislative Council here to an informal end on Thursday.
In parallel, Speaker UT Khader referred the issue to the Assembly’s Privileges Committee, amid boycott by BJP members, the issue was also raised in the Assembly.
Belagavi Police arrested Mr. Ravi from outside Suvarnavidhan Soudh and literally took him in a police jeep. Based on the complaint filed by the minister’s personal assistant, the Hirebagewadi police station has registered a case under sections 75 and 79 of the Indian Judicial Code.
How did it open?
The House was adjourned after Union Home Minister Amit Shah adjourned the House over BR Ambedkar’s comments, accusing both ruling and opposition members of shouting slogans and insulting Ambedkar.
Although the House was adjourned, the members continued to raise slogans. At one point, Mr. Ravi made remarks against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, resulting in Ms. Hebbalkar firing back.
Mr. Ravi allegedly used obscenities against her at this point, she got angry and shouted at her. After being informed that she would file a complaint against Ravi, the minister left the house in frustration. He was accompanied by other members of the Congress.
After his complaint, Speaker Basavaraj Horatti held a marathon meeting with ruling party MPs, ministers and opposition leaders. The House was adjourned for a few minutes only at 5:30 pm. sine die.
As the protest continued, sensing trouble, marshals rounded up members of both the ruling and opposition parties and escorted Mr. Ravi out of the assembly.
Protect your honor
Earlier delivering his verdict on the complaint filed by Ms. Hebbalkar, Horatti asked the members to protect the dignity and honor of the House.
She said that the Women and Child Development Minister had said that Ravi had used obscene and insulting words in her complaint, while Mr. Ravi had claimed in his defense that he had used the word ‘frustrate’ during the agitation. misinterpretation.
Mr Horatty said the House had always respected women and had never seen derogatory words used. He said that no woman would complain about insulting him. It was expected from the members to protect the dignity and dignity of the House and become a role model for others.
In the Assembly, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Ministers Priyank Kharge and HK Patil argued that the ruling party had the right to raise the issue as Ms Hebbalkar was a member of the House, which the BJP objected to.
Congress leaders said the BJP’s “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” slogan was a hoax as they continued to humiliate women.
‘criminal offence’
Outside the House, Mr. Ravi did not give a direct answer to reporters about whether he had used the derogatory word, but claimed that he had never used an unparliamentary word in his long political career. Mr. Siddaramaiah called the alleged remarks a “criminal offense”.
The incident also led to Ms Hebbalkar’s followers trying to surround Mr Ravi’s car and later trying to enter the council hall, with a group of people allegedly trying to attack him.
published – December 19, 2024 at 10:11 am IST