Former minister Kader Asmal on Wednesday urged people to fight for the Constitution, not him.

This was after the Congress of the People said it would approach the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to probe statements made against him.

Asmal said he regretted Cope's "premature" appeal to the commission, which he had heard about through the media.

Asmal was criticised by the African National Congress, Deputy Police Minister Fikile Mbalula and the MK Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) for comments he made to the Cape Town Press Club.

Asmal said Mbalula and the MKMVA's remarks were symptoms of a "tainted political atmosphere in which the moral compass pointing to the core values of my movement has lost its sense of direction".

He said it was not appropriate for the SAHRC to probe a "single and largely illiterate example of regrettable behaviour. This issue is much larger".

"The atmosphere of our political life has been debased by the use of intemperate language to deal with alleged criminals (shoot the bastards), to provide support for candidates to office (kill for XYZ), to kill for a cause (against racism) to oppose a medical test on an athlete (minister will cause World War III), or that the use freedom of expression will lead to inevitable death (by a leader of a political party)," he said.

'Quasi-judicial'

The matter would not be resolved by a "quasi-judicial" finding but required everyone, particularly those in power, to lead "by supporting a humane, generous and democratic climate for discussion".

He urged "everyone not to fight for me but to work for the upholding of the core values of our Constitution".

Asmal told the press club last week that Mbalula's idea of "militarising" the police was "craziness" and smacked of "low level political decision-making".

He said he hoped he would not be alive to see Mbalula succeed in becoming the party's next secretary general, a position the former ANC Youth League president was reportedly lobbying for.

The ANC described Asmal's comments as "unfortunate" while the MKMVA "advised" him to "go to the nearest cemetery and die if that is the choice he had made".

Mbalula described Asmal's comments as the "rumblings of a raving lunatic", according to the full text of his response published on Independent Online.

"The bitterness that comes through Asmal's statements is astounding and betrays a bitter old man struggling to make peace with the realities of the day.

"He is not shy about singling out individuals for his venom in the hope that his disciples will take up arms and march to his imaginary war," Mbalula said.