A day after he supposedly said most reported cases of rape were basically consensual acts, the Congress on Friday issued notice to party leader Dharamvir Goyat, directing him to explain his statement in 15 days.

Goyat, however, said the media had misquoted him. “I have not commented against women. I was informally talking to some newsmen and shared my views on the basis of general talk among the people. I did not speak on behalf of the Congress or the government. A section of the electronic media misreported that I had stated 90% raped girls go with men willingly but are trapped in gangrapes later.”

His statement had led to countrywide condemnation, and the party distanced itself from the episode.

Chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said: “The Congress does not hold the view expressed by Goyat.”

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters in Chandigarh: “Rape is an offence for which neither should justification be provided nor any justification exists. If any individual tries to defend this abhorrent activity, I think possibly there is a serious need for some serious psychological counselling.”

Hisar district Congress committee chief Jai Prakash said Goyat was not a spokesperson of the unit, though the latter has been issuing public statements in that capacity for months.

With inputs from PTI