JOIN USAsaram Bapu likens critics with 'barking dogs'
Unfazed by the outrage over his remark on the Delhi gang-rape case, spiritual leader Asaram Bapu on Tuesday sought to justify the comments and compared all those criticising him to ''barking dogs''.
Asaram also compared himself to an elephant who “will not respond to barking dogs” and said his remarks in connection with the December 16 gang-rape incident were misconstrued by the media and his critics. “First one dog barked. Then another dog 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 comes down,” Asaram 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 was at the centre of a controversy on Sunday after he suggested that the 23-year-old gang-rape victim was equally responsible for the ghastly crime and said she could have called her assailants brothers and begged them to stop. “Now what did I say wrong. A man approached me and said, ‘My wife fights with me.’ So I said you can’t with one hand. So what’s wrong with that. Now this comment was joined with another comment,” he said trying to underplay the controversy. Asaram later told reporters his remarks about the gang-rape victim were misconstrued by his critics and the media. The spiritual leader claimed if his speech was understood in the proper context people would be respecting him for his comments. Asaram said through the years he has achieved a high status and commands respect in society as a result of which he has attracted many critics.
Complaint filed
Meanwhile, a petition has been filed in a Lucknow court against Asaram, seeking prosecution of the spiritual teacher.
The lawyer for the complainant Pramod Pandey said that the court has fixed January 15 for hearing the matter.