Sangli (Maharashtra): Three days before the Maharashtra assembly elections 2014, NCP leader RR Patil has stirred up a controversy by making a shocking statement at a rally in Sangli.
Patil said that a certain MNS candidate Sudhakar Khade charged with rape should have committed the crime after the elections.
Patil said, "When I spoke to people here (Sangli), they said they supported me. When I asked why, they said because our candidate from the MNS is in jail because he has been accused of rape." To which, Patil replied, "If he wanted to contest from this seat and become an MLA, he should have committed the crime after the elections."
The former home minister had made a similar controversial statement in 2008, during the 26/11 attack when he had said that such small incidents is commonplace in a city like Mumbai.
Patil is contesting from Tasgaon and faces a stiff challenge with the BJP training its eyes on the constituency.
Later in the day, Patil tendered an apology after his remark drew ire from across the country. Patil said that the remark was made in a sarcastic vein against Sudhakar Khade.
"The candidate had a rape case registered against him in 2007. One more rape case was registered after he filed nomination. Earlier, he had been charged under Arms Act and for molestation," Patil said. The NCP leader also said, "If you hear my comment fully, you will understand in what context it was made. It was a sarcastic criticism of a rival candidate, who has a criminal background.
"There is no question of my insulting women. During my tenure as Home Minister, I initiated several measures for the safety of women and took a tough stand on rape," he said.
Seeking to put an end to the potentially damaging controversy ahead of the October 15 Assembly poll, Patil said, "I do not want the issue to drag on. In case I hurt anybody's sentiments, I tender an apology. I had no intention to hurt anybody with my comments."
Patil, who held the Home portfolio for several years under the Congress-NCP dispensation, had to lose his job for his comments on 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. When he was asked if the brazen terror assault was the result of intelligence failure, Patil said, "It is not like that. In big cities like this, small incidents do happen. It's is not a total failure."
(With inputs from PTI)
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