Rahul questions Modi's silence on rape cases, atrocities against women
New Delhi, Aug 7 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "silence" on the cases of rapes in the country, especially in shelter homes in Muzaffarpur in Bihar and Deoria in Uttar Pradesh, and said that the atrocities against women have pushed the country behind by 3,000 years.
He also taunted the Modi government over its 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' (save daughters, educate daughters) programme and questioned as to from whom the daughters should be saved.
"In Uttar Pradesh when women are raped, the Prime Minister cannot speak a single word," Gandhi said while addressing the Mahila Adhikar Sammelan organised by his party here.
"In Jharkhand, he goes and speaks on issues like bullet train, toilets, aeroplanes and other issues but he does not speak a line about women. He remains silent when there are any number of atrocities against women or cases of rape," he said.
Slamming Modi for his silence on Bihar's Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case, Gandhi said, "a number of minor girls were raped in Bihar. But he cannot speak a single word condemning the incident, while his party members defend the accused."
"In UP, their MLA is a rape accused but the Prime Minister and the BJP President do not speak a word against it," he said, referring to the BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who has been arrested by the CBI in a rape case in April this year.
"It has become a trend that every woman in India comes out of her home with fear. When, in front of the Prime Minister, it is said that your country is not safe for women and your government is unable to provide security to the women, he cannot speak a word," he said.
He can go around the world and hug the leaders but he cannot explain why women are not safe in India. He has talked about changing India. He talked about 70 years of Congress rule. He was correct because what is happening to women in the last four years did not happen in last 3,000 years, leave alone 70 years," he said.
Gandhi also said that the Modi government brought a programme named 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'. We could not understand from whom they were trying to save the daughters. We have to save the daughters from the BJP MLAs," Gandhi remarked.
"You would be surprised that only Rs 40 lakh per district is given to save women under the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme. It is shameful. They ended MGNREGA. Lakhs and crores of women were benefited by the scheme. They said that there is no benefit of MGNREGA," he lamented.
The Congress leader also slammed Modi for not bringing the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament.
"If they bring the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament, then Congress will support it. And if the government fails to bring the Bill in the House and if we come to power we shall get it passed in Parliament," Gandhi said.
He also said that Congress was working with other opposition parties to fight the ideological battle against the "purely male-chauvinist" BJP and RSS.
Making a stinging attack on the saffron parties, Gandhi said the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) parent organisation Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) was so male dominated ideologically that it had no place for women.
Blaming the BJP-led Central government, he said there was no institution or minority community in the country which was not under attack under its rule.
Gandhi said the Congress was committed to protecting all institutions and communities and was working with all opposition parties on ideological basis to fight the BJP and RSS.
"The BJP is devastating our country and damaging our institutions. There is no institution in the country which is not under attack.
"Minorities, Dalits, women and tribals: all of them are under attack. It is our responsibility to protect them all and we will not back down. We will defeat the BJP," the Congress President said.
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Bengal: Over 55 pc turnout till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of 2 assembly seats
Kolkata (PTI): Over 55 per cent turnout was recorded till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of two assembly constituencies in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, an official said.
Voting was underway more or less peacefully at 11 polling stations of Magrahat Paschim assembly constituency and four in Diamond Harbour, where the EC ordered repoll a day ago, following reports of electoral malpractices.
However, at booth number 179 at Chanda Primary School of Diamond Harbour seat, the Trinamool Congress alleged that a specially abled voter and his mother were harassed by central forces. The alleged incident sparked protests by party workers and locals.
The TMC claimed that the voter's mother, who had entered the booth to assist him, and her son were detained for a considerable time by central forces over alleged rule violations.
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"TMC leaders Manmohini Biswas and Pratik Ur Rahman reached the spot and led the protests, with residents terming the action unwarranted harassment. The matter has been taken care of by our officials there," an official of the poll body said.
Polling was otherwise peaceful across 15 booths in the area, he added.
Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, the official said, adding that till 1 pm, the turnout was 55.57 per cent.
Magrahat Paschim registered 56.33 per cent voter turnout, while in Diamond Harbour, it was 54.9 per cent, a poll official stated.
Voting in these two assembly constituencies was held in the second phase of the state elections on April 29.
The repoll order was based on reports received from returning officers and observers of the two constituencies and "material circumstances", the Election Commission official said.
In Magrahat Paschim, TMC's Md Samim Ahamed Molla is pitted against BJP nominee Goursundar Ghosh, while Abdul Majid Halder of the Congress and ISF candidate Abdul Aziz Al Hassan are also in the fray.
TMC candidate Panna Lal Halder is contesting against Dipak Kumar Halder of the BJP in the Diamond Harbour seat. Goutam Bhattacharya of the Congress and CPI(M)'s Samar Naiya are among other candidates.
The BJP had alleged rampant electoral malpractices in certain polling stations of both the assembly seats under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, which is represented by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The EC had deputed its special observer, Subrata Gupta, to fact-check the allegations from the ground.
The poll panel will decide on repolling in the Falta assembly constituency on Saturday.
The West Bengal assembly elections were held in two phases -- April 23 and April 29 -- amid unprecedented security arrangements.
Counting of votes will take place on May 4.
