BELAGAVI: Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar on Friday replied to the alleged derogatory remarks made against her by Bharatiya Janata Party MLC C T Ravi in the Legislative Council, while speaking to reporters at her residence in Belagavi.
Expressing her distress over the alleged remarks, she said that when the BJP leader called Rahul Gandhi a “drug addict”, she asked whether him being involved in accidents made him a murderer. “After completing the protest (against remarks of Amit Shah), we were seated. I, too, was sitting quietly in my seat. At that time, C T Ravi called Rahul Gandhi a drug addict. In response, I said, Even you have been in accidents, does that make you a murderer..??,” she told reporters.
While narrating the incident, she said, “Following this, C T Ravi used derogatory words against me. I am also a mother…People look up to me and believe that thousands should enter politics inspired by me”.
#WATCH | Belagavi | On alleged derogatory remarks by BJP leader CT Ravi against her, Karnataka minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar says,”…I don’t know how to react….You(media) have the clippings. Being a woman, a politician, a mother, a sister, how should I react? I am not scared of… pic.twitter.com/6EadL9eQii
— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2024
The BJP leader was arrested and brought to the district court by Belagavi police on Friday. Before being taken to court, C T Ravi underwent a medical checkup at the Mutga Health Centre in Belagavi. An FIR was filed against him following the complaint made by Minister Hebbalkar.
The minister said that her relatives, including her daughter-in-law expressed support for her. “My daughter-in-law called me and said, ‘We are with you..’ The people of my constituency are standing by me,” she added.
CT Ravi has been suspended from the Legislative Council; Hebbalkar denied to comment on his suspension. Meanwhile, the BJP leader has also filed a counter-complaint at the Khanapura police station in Belagavi, alleging an attempt to kill him by Congress leaders Laxmi Hebbalkar, Chennaraj Hattiholi, DK Shivakumar and others.
He claimed that police brought him to the Khanapur police station without providing a reason. “Police brought me to Khanapura police station around 8 pm on Thursday. They didn’t tell me in which case they brought me. They’re not registering my complaint; they’re not even filing a zero FIR. If something happens to me, the Congress government must take responsibility”, the BJP leader alleged.
State BJP chief B Y Vijayendra also condemned the government’s handling of the CT Ravi issue, alleging that the police department was pressured by the state government. Vijayendra also claimed that Ravi, who suffered a head injury, was denied medical treatment and basic care, calling it an ‘unpardonable’ act. He also announced a statewide protest. (ANI)