The Audiotape Saga took a dramatic turn with distasteful comments are not new in the Karnataka legislative assembly but Tuesday’s session saw a new low with Speaker Ramesh Kumar likening himself to a rape survivor.

The Speakeer was drawing parallels between himself and a rape survivor reliving the trauma. The Speaker Ramesh Kumar said that legislators making repeated references to his name being part of the controversial audio tapes made him feel like a rape victim being cross-questioned. Unfortunately the Speaker’s insensitive analogy was met with laughter by the House. Not one person in a House full of elected representatives chose to register their protest at the insensitivity on display.

“My situation is like that of a rape victim. The rape happened just once. Had you left it at that, it would have passed. But when you complain of it and the accused is put in jail, his lawyers or people like Eshwarappa (referring to the BJP legislator) ask how did the rape happen? What time did it happen? How many times did it happen? At the end of the trial, the woman will say that she was raped only once in reality, but she was raped multiple times in court during cross-examination. My situation is like that,” Ramesh Kumar said with a laugh.

Sadly his comments were met with more laughter from most legislators. Incidentally, at least seven women MLAs, including Chief Minister’s wife and Ramanagara MLA Anitha Kumaraswamy, were inside the House when the rape analogy was made.

“It was a very insensitive comment on part of the Speaker. I was shocked at the statement and wanted to stand up and protest immediately but I didn’t know if I could. But I have raised the matter with our legislative party chief,” said a woman legislator of the Congress who wished not to be named. Making matters worse, KS Eshwarappa, who the Speaker named while making his statement, also chose to react in an insensitive manner.

The women legislators maintained silence on the issue and refused to comment when News Basics approached them for their opinion.