New Delhi, April 14: Blaming the BJP for politicisation of Unnao and Kathau rape cases, the Congress on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for speaking very little on the incidents and not mention the involvement of his own party's people.
It also attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) for always trying to erode the legacy of B.R. Ambedkar.
"Prime Minister's speech yesterday (Friday) reeked of politicisation of everything, and blaming the Congress of everything as if the world came into existence in 2014..as if they had started from the scratch.
"PM yesterday broke his silence after protests across the country and that too in just two lines. But he didn't mention that his own people are involved in the cases. The BJP MLA or ministers. The resignation of ministers is just a joke. They gave it to their own party," said senior Congress leader Kumari Selja.
Noting BJP leaders had asked if such incidents have not taken place during Congress' rule, mentioning the Nirbhaya case, she said: "But they (BJP) forget that everyone stood against it that time. There was no politics in it..."
On the RSS and the BJP's view of Ambedkar, she said: "We all know about RSS ideologues' views on Baba Saheb and the Dalits. The Congress had given him the responsibility to draft the India's Constitution."
"The RSS and the BJP even talked about changing the Constitution, questioned reservation. Is this how they show respect to Baba Saheb?
"Simply paying lip service, which the Prime Minister is used to, does not take away from the fact that they are always trying to erode the legacy of Baba Saheb Ambedkar," she added.
Congress also hit out at the government for reducing the sub-plan for SC/ST, and nearly halving the budget for SC schemes.
"Just speeches and words can't fulfill the promises they made to SC and STs. According to NCRB, each day 6 Dalit women get raped...
"Babasaheb's statue have been put in a cage in (Uttar Pradesh's) Badaun. Actually, it is very symbolic as they have put his ideology in a cage," said Selja.
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Man suspected to have contracted GBS dies in Maharashtra; cases top 100 in Pune
Pune (PTI): A man suspected to have contracted Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) has died in Maharashtra's Solapur district, while the number of cases of the immunological nerve disorder in Pune has crossed 100, health officials said on Monday.
This is possibly the first death in Maharashtra suspected to have been caused by the GBS.
The man, native of Solapur, had come to Pune, where he is suspected to have contracted the disease.
He died in Solapur, an official said without giving more details.
"The total number of GBS cases in Pune on Sunday increased to 101, comprising 68 males and 33 females. Of these, 16 patients are on ventilator support. One suspected death has been reported in Solapur," the state health department official said.
Meanwhile, the Rapid Response Team (RRT) and the Pune Municipal Corporation's health department continued surveillance in the affected Sinhgad Road areas here.
A total of 25,578 houses have been surveyed so far, including 15,761 in the Pune Municipal Corporation limits, 3,719 in Chinchwad Municipal Corporation limits, and 6,098 houses in the district's rural areas, the official said.
GBS is a rare condition that causes sudden numbness and muscle weakness, with symptoms including severe weakness in the limbs, loose motions etc.
Bacterial and viral infections generally lead to GBS as they weaken the immunity of patients, according to doctors.
While GBS is prevalent in both paediatric and young-age groups, it will not lead to an epidemic or pandemic, they said, adding that most patients recover fully with treatment.
The state health department set up the Rapid Response Team to investigate the sudden rise in this infection after 24 suspected cases were found initially.
