Unfazed by the outrage over his remarks on the Delhi gang rape victim, spiritual leader Asaram Bapu on Tuesday sought to justify the comments and compared all those criticising him to “barking dogs.” He also compared himself to an elephant who will not respond to “barking dogs.”
“First one dog barked. Then another barked. Soon all the dogs in the neighbourhood started barking,” he said, addressing his supporters.“Now, if the elephant runs behind the dogs, then their [dogs] value increases and that of the elephant’s comes down,” he said, gesturing towards himself. “They can say what they like. I don’t care. I still maintain, why should I run behind the dogs?”
Asaram Bapu on Monday said the 23-year-old gang-rape victim was equally responsible for the ghastly crime and that she could have called her assailants brothers and begged them to stop.
“What did I say wrong? A man approached me and said my wife fights with me. I said you can’t fight with one hand. What’s wrong with that? This comment was joined with another comment,” he said
Asaram Bapu later told reporters his remarks about the gang rape victim were misconstrued by his critics and the media.
He claimed if his speech was understood in the proper context, people would respect him for his comments.
He said, through the years, he had achieved a high status and commanded respect in society, as a result of which he had attracted many critics. He did not intend to harm anybody and that he wished the wellbeing of all.
