Often in the limelight for his remarks more than his work, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday sparked another controversy by claiming that it is because of the “undisciplined” citizens that the police is “rude”.

Rijiju was attending a function to announce the setting up of the India Police Foundation where he recalled Delhi’s former Lieutenant-Governor Tejinder Khanna’s remarks from January, 2008, without naming him. Rijiju said he agreed with then Lieutenant Governor's claim that people from the north and western parts of the country love to break rules and boast about it.

“I was witness to a statement made by one of the Lieutenant Governors of Delhi some years ago. He had stated that people of north India enjoy breaking the rules and by evening he was forced to apologise. But I believe what he said was right,” Rijiju said.

Khanna's 2008 statement had resulted in much uproar, with both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party protesting. “It is a speciality of north and west India that the people feel a sense of honour and pride in violating the law and boasting that no action has been taken against them,” Khanna had said in 2008 before he was forced to retract this statement after protests from the two big parties.

While defending the police, Rijiju also took a shot at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, questioning the latter’s claims that Delhi Police is perceived as the “most corrupt” department, as part of his larger appeal directed towards the Centre to let the Delhi government take charge of Delhi Police.

“Kejriwal keeps on saying that Delhi Police did not do something or the other but if he himself will not correct his approach, what could the police do?” Rijiju said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal responded on Twitter, asking Rijiju to refrain from dividing people into north and south Indians.

However, Kejriwal's tweet only seemed to provoke his detractors to join in and soon it was a free for all, with supporters defending and others just pitching in with their witticisms and pop-sociology. We give you a sampling.

 

 

 






 

 

 

 

And this tweet which seemed to have summed up everything: