Congress demands Gohain's ouster as Minister over rape charges
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The Congress on Friday demanded dismissal of Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain as a case of rape was registered against him in Guwahati.
"(Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji, you have failed the test not once, not twice, not thrice, but almost a dozen times. Again there is a rape FIR against one of your Cabinet colleagues, Gohain," Congress leader Pawan Khera said addressing a press conference here.
He said that if PM Modi does not act now, then he would lose the moral authority to stay in the office even for a day.
"Remove him from his office. You can't allow him to be in a position of power and influence during the investigation. Please remove him if you meant anything that you promised before 2014," he said.
"We demand from this government, from Modi, from (BJP President) Amit Shah to take immediate and strict action against rape accused Minister Gohain," he said.
The Congress leader's remarks came after a woman in Assam filed a case of rape with the Assam Police against Gohain.
Referring to the cases of rape in which Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were allegedly involved, Khera mentioned the case of Unnao district in Uttar Pradesh and said: "We saw you were standing with the rapists of Unnao."
Khera was referring to BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Senger, who has been charged for rape by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The Congress leader also questioned Modi's silence on the Muzaffarpur shelter home rapes. "Your own government is there in alliance with (Bihar Chief Minister) Nitish Kumarji."
Khera also questioned Modi's silence over his party's state ministers coming out in support of the rape accused in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua.
Slamming Modi, he said: "Last week, we saw reports from Deoria, from Pratapgarh, and again you remained quiet."
"These are the same people who used provocative and emotionally charged slogans to woo the people of the country before 2014. And now, their Cabinet ministers are being charged with sexual assault and rapes, yet they maintain silence and action is hardly taken against those involved in such cases," Khera added.
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PM Modi speaks to Iranian president, discusses 'serious' situation in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the phone and discussed the "serious situation" in West Asia.
Modi expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions in the region and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.
The prime minister told the Iranian President that the safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India's top priorities.
“Had a conversation with Iranian President, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the serious situation in the region. Expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure,” Modi said in a post on X.
The prime minister also reiterated India's commitment to peace and stability and urged dialogue and diplomacy to end the crisis.
The prime minister had spoken to leaders of several West Asian countries in the last 10 days in the wake of the coordinated offensive launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, in which the Islamic country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed last month.
In retaliation, Iran has fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf region, including the global business and aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha.
Modi earlier spoke to the leaders of Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Israel and Qatar, and expressed concern over the attacks on their countries, and condemned the violation of some nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also discussed the welfare and security of the Indian community residing in those countries.
Around 1 crore Indians live in the Gulf and West Asia. While about 10,000 Indian citizens live, study and work in Iran, more than 40,000 live in Israel.
