The Congress on Thursday questioned the BJP leadership’s sincerity towards women’s empowerment, pointing to the silence of top ministers on the Unnao horror, and argued that the recently passed triple talaq bill was hardly proof of the government’s commitment to gender justice.
The party alleged the conspiracy of silence was aimed at protecting the criminals who were determined to finish off the Unnao rape victim and her family and said the vicious cycle of injustice and inaction would have continued had the Supreme Court not intervened.
The court on Thursday directed the transfer of all cases registered in connection with the Unnao rape from a court in Uttar Pradesh to a court in the national capital.
The Congress hailed the court’s decision. “Grateful to the Supreme Court for taking cognisance of the ‘Jungle Raj’ being unleashed in Uttar Pradesh,” party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said. “Meanwhile, the BJP finally acknowledges having empowered a criminal and takes some action to correct itself and move in the direction of justice for a young woman who has suffered immeasurably.”
The Congress held demonstrations in Lucknow for two days following a directive from Priyanka.
Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev ripped into the BJP at a media interaction. “The Prime Minister presents the defence minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) as a symbol of women’s empowerment. The BJP’s women MPs and top ministers describe the triple talaq bill as proof of gender justice. Smriti Irani sent bangles to (then Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh when the (2012) Nirbhaya (gang-rape and murder) case happened. But the entire ‘beti-bachao’ gang falls silent on the unprecedented atrocities on the Unnao girl. The Prime Minister, BJP chief Amit Shah and (Uttar Pradesh) chief minister Yogi Adityanath stood by the rape accused for two years,” Sushmita said.
“What would have happened had the Supreme Court not intervened? The local MP, Sakshi Maharaj, goes to the jail to meet the rape-accused (MLA) Kuldeep Sengar. For two years, the family members of the girls have been lodging complaints about threats…. The father of the girl was killed and now the aunts have gone. The girl is fighting for her life. The family has been tortured; even an eight-year-old boy (a cousin) is facing a theft case. You can understand how the accused got political patronage and what the family went through.”
Sengar, accused of raping the Unnao teen in 2017, has been charged with murder over Sunday’s road collision that left the victim seriously injured and two of her aunts dead.
The MLA, whom Unnao BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj had met in jail to thank him for his support in the parliamentary elections, was suspended from the BJP on Tuesday.
Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala said the “chain of events suggest the Yogi government was directly responsible”.
“Witnesses are threatened and killed even as the CBI looked into the case. It is ironical that the security provided to the girl vanished on the day of the accident,” he said.
None of the security personnel assigned to guard the family were with the victim and her relatives on Sunday.
Sushmita hailed the Supreme Court order. “We thank the Chief Justice of India for ordering a time-bound probe and shifting of the case to Delhi. The order to provide CRPF security to the family and a compensation of Rs 25 lakh are also welcome. But the issue is why the family lived in fear and suffered for so long under the state government? Why does the BJP government indulge in selective outrage on the question of women’s safety?”
The party’s official Twitter handle put out a series of critical messages, saying: “The delay in his (Sengar’s) expulsion led to further deaths. This is reflective of the state of lawlessness in Uttar Pradesh. Ajay Bisht (Yogi Adityanath) must take responsibility for this and resign immediately. The expulsion of Kuldeep Sengar is a victory of the people’s campaign against the BJP…. The move is however too little too late.”