Asaram invites widespread ire with callous remark

People from all walks of life reacted strongly on Monday against Asaram’s remark about the Delhi gang-rape victim. While many doubted his approach towards a rape incident, some commented that he had eventually revealed his real face. His reckless remark met with protests across the city. The state unit of BJP, too, condemned his statement.

Asaram’s statement at Noida near Delhi invited aggressive comments from all strata of the society, be it politicians, advocates, activists or even people on the streets. Prafful Vaghela, the man who is fighting a long battle against Asaram for the death of two members of his family at his Gurukul in Sabarmati area of Ahmedabad, said that the latter had proved that he was not a saint. Talking to DNA, he quipped, “People are foolish to follow him.”

Manjula Pradeep, managing director of Navsarja Trust, said that Asaram had already lost his credibility and respect in society and his statement should not be taken seriously. “His mentality is not only anti-woman but also anti-national,” she added.

The ruling party, too, tried to maintain a distance from the self-proclaimed spiritual guru. Vijay Rupani, general secretary of BJP’s Gujarat unit, questioned his remark that the girl was equally responsible for the crime. Condemning Asaram’s statement, he said that there was no fault of the girl in the incident.

Activist Ila Pathak rued the approach of Asaram. “If it would have been so simple to convince a rapist to not rape the girl by begging for help and declaring him religious brother, there would have been no rapes in the society,” she said, adding that people like Asaram were hesitant to accept that the rapists of the Delhi girl were not less than animals, who only wanted to satisfy their lust. In his statement at Noida in UP, Asaram cautioned that any new law on crime against women might be misused by vested interests.