In a statement that has potential to fuel a controversy, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday said that he agreed with the statement of a former Lt Governor of Delhi that "the people of north India enjoy breaking rules".
"One of the Lt Governors of Delhi (in an apparently reference to former Delhi LG Tejinder Khanna) some years back had made a statement that the people of north India enjoy breaking rules, and by evening he was forced to apologise. But, I believe what he had said was right," said Rijiju at the inauguration of Indian Police foundation and Indian Police Institute.
"People love flouting rules. They feel powerful by threatening a policeman that means the society as a whole needs to change. Just having a robust system and a big police force is not enough, if the society's mindset doesn't change nothing will happen," he said.
"Many people say that police has become very rude. Police will be rude only if citizens are indiscipline. But there is a general saying here that until you beat them with a stick, people don't listen," he said, while defending policemen.