OFF THE RECORD

Are Dalit girls in Haryana being raped because caste men in the state are sexually starved? A leading politician and member of the Lok Sabha with over four decades of Parliamentary experience thinks, that there are not enough women in Haryana to fulfill the sexual urge of the men. 

He borrows Freudian logic to say that sex is as much a basic need as is thirst and hunger and they all have to be satisfied (even through rape).

Following is an account of the politician’s answers to some of the questions asked by “a novice” TV reporter. The conversation was in Hindi.

Note: Identity of the politician is not being revealed, as intention is not create controversy but to allow readers to “examine the heads” of the political class.

Scene: A TV reporter of an unheard channel, a camera person and a girl assistant come to the politician to seek his opinions on rape of Dalit women in Haryana recently.

TV reporter: (Maintains serious facial expression and struggles to hide his nervousness) Sir, There had been a number of rape cases in Haryana in recent times involving Dalit girls and women. Om Prakash Choutala has said that the girls should be married off at an age of 15 years. What you have to say?

The Politician: Haryana is so close to Delhi, that you all people forget the 2G scam and show rape stories on channel. There are mosquitoes breeding in the gutter. But the focus is on mosquitoes and not the gutter. 

There is caste system in Haryana. Women have no freedom there. Their lot is miserable. They can not go out. They have to stay within the confines of the family headed by men. But there are not enough women in Haryana. Sex ratio is very poor. There are too many men but too few women. (There are 877 women for every 1000 men)

After every 15 minutes you will thirsty you drink water. After every three years you feel hungry, you eat. Similarly, after every 15 or 20 days, you have sex urge. That has to be fulfilled. What would the men do. There are not enough women there. There is too much of restrictions on caste women. Also, there are too few women. So, what these men do. They have to satisfy their sex urges. It’s a basic need. It can not be suppressed. But Dalits are soft targets. So, you see Dalit girls and women being raped.

Reporter: But sir Choutala has said…

The Politician: Leave Choutala. Who is he…you do not understand the problem. There are no rape case in China. Once I had gone to China, I asked a girl in the hotel…are you married…she said no, then I asked how does she satisfy her sex urges. She told me that she had many boy friends and she gets her urges fulfilled. When asked what about marriage, she said that girls in China marry once they meet the men of their choice but they do not wait till then to fulfill their sexual urges. So, you do not come across rape cases in China. 

But the problem here is that the women here are chained, they are suppressed. They do not have any freedom. The conditions of the women are most pitiable in India. They are a miserable lot. They have no freedom at all. So, unless the root cause is addressed there is no point talking about some rape cases happening here and there.

Reporter: Sir, Choutala has said ….

The Politician: You listen to me. Gandhiji never used to attend marriages. Mahatmaji (Gandhi) would attend marriage only if it was intercaste. This caste system is the big problem. Gandhiji fought to break it but it still continues.

Reporter: Sir, but Dalit women are being raped…

The Politician: Dalits have been exploited for thousands of years and continue to be in the same conditions. What has changed for them…

Dhanyawad.

(Cameraperson takes off his camera. Reporter compliments the politician for “brilliant” analysis of rape cases taking place in Haryana.) “Sir, bahut badhiya bola aapne,” reporter tells the politician.