RIJIJU SAYS NORTH INDIANS TAKE PRIDE IN BREAKING RULES

NEW DELHI: Union junior home minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday kicked up a storm when he agreed with the controversial comments of a former Delhi lieutenant governor that north Indians enjoy breaking rules and boast about their action.

His comments came at the inauguration event of two police think tanks, where he defended the men in uniform for being rude because people aren’t disciplined.

“I was witness to a statement made by one of the lieutenantgovernor’s of Delhi some years ago. He had stated that people of north India enjoy breaking rules and by evening he was forced to apologise. But I believe what he said was right,” Rijiju said.

Without taking the name, he was pointing to comments made by then Delhi L-G Tejinder Khanna in February 2008 that north Indians take pride in breaking rules. Khanna was forced to retract his remarks following political protests.

Rijiju, however, stuck to his statement when HT sought a response. He said the law has to be tough on those who break rules and boast about it.

“Police ko gaali dekar samaj nahi sudhrega (society won’t get better by censuring police). There is something wrong in society. We have to accept that. We are very good in criticising others but we don’t accept (our mistakes),” he said.

His remarks came amid Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s criticism of the Capital’s police which report to the Union home ministry.

“There is a general saying here that until you beat them with a stick, people don’t listen. So if people are not showing the right conduct and they are indisciplined and they don’t listen even when told once, twice or 10 times, police will have to use the stick to make them listen.”

One incident cannot make the police force corrupt... There is something wrong in the society. We are very good in criticising others (but) we don’t accept .... (our mistakes).

KIREN RIJIJU, Union minister of state for home