Congress interested only in Muslim men, not women's welfare: Modi
Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh), July 14 : Raking up the controversy over the reported remarks of Rahul Gandhi that the Congress is a party for Muslims, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Congress and other parties of wanting continuance of practices like triple talaq.
He also wondered whether the Congress was interested only in the welfare of Muslim men and not women.
"For the last two days I am hearing that a naamdar leader (a sarcastic reference to Rahul Gandhi) recently said that the Congress is a party of Muslims. I'm not surprised. Even former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh once said that Muslims have the first right over nation's natural resources.
"But I want to ask the naamdar of Congress, congratulations to them. But please tell us whether the Congress is only for Muslim men? Or does it have space for Muslim women too because they don't stand with Muslim women on issues of triple talaq and nikah halala," he said addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the Purvanchal Expressway in a speech aimed at the next Lok Sabha polls in the battle ground state.
Modi said all the parties have been exposed on the issue of triple talaq. It concerns the lives of lakhs and crores of Muslim women. Even in Islamic countries, there is a ban on triple talaq, he said.
The Prime Minister's attack on Gandhi and the Congress on the issue of Muslims came a day after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman accused the Congress of dividing the country on communal lines and playing a dangerous game before 2019 general elections.
Citing a report in an Urdu daily which claimed that Gandhi told a meeting of Muslim intellectuals earlier this week that the Congress is a party for Muslims, she had demanded an apology from the Congress President.
The Prime Minister also accused the opposition parties of not allowing Parliament to function. "They don't allow the Parliament to function. They stall the proceedings. I would like all anti-Modi leaders to go and meet these women who have been affected by triple talaq and nikah halala and then come to Parliament. People have to be alert about such parties.
"These parties want triple talaq to continue. I will try to make them understand and bring them together for the sake of Muslim women so that they get freedom," he alleged.
He said these are 18th century parties in the 21st century and cannot do any good for the country.
Modi said that Purvanchal Expressway will take Uttar Pradesh to greater heights. "More than Rs 23,000 crore will be spent on the project. All cities, towns between Lucknow and Ghazipur, that fall on this route will witness a change."
The Prime Minister also said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had changed perception about Uttar Pradesh.
"The Yogi Adityanath government has been able to control crime rate, corruption in Uttar Pradesh. He has contributed immensely in the state's development," Modi said.
He also said besides highways, work was also on relating to waterways and airways.
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Bengaluru woman murder: Karnataka Home Minister Parameshwara vows to nab culprits soon
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday vowed to apprehend those responsible for the gruesome murder of a 29-year-old woman here, as soon as possible.
Mahalakshmi's body was found chopped into over 50 pieces and stuffed into a refrigerator in her flat at Vyalikaval in the city.
Addressing reporters, Parameshwara said, "Aready some information has been collected, which I cannot reveal now, but we will soon nab those involved in it."
"... an individual -- they say is the one (involved), but unless we have more information, we can't really confirm. He is from West Bengal, they say. As early as possible we will secure (those involved)."
The maggot-infested body of Mahalakshmi was discovered by her mother and elder sister at her home on Saturday.
Responding to a question about reports that one person was already taken into custody in connection with the case, the Home Minister said, "police bring in suspects and inquire them. If somebody confesses (to the crime), then they will be taken into custody."
The deceased woman's estranged husband has expressed suspicion about a man known to her.
To another query on women's safety, the Minister said already a lot of precautions and measures are being taken for the safety of women in Bengaluru.
"In fact the Nirbhaya programme is implemented, and we are doing several things... definitely we are very careful about it and we take a lot of precautions. We have installed CCTVs at the place where a lot of women visit.
We have taken steps, but still we don't know how to term these (incidents), whether we call it domestic or whether we call it something else. We have already alerted all the police stations to be extra careful about women safety....we need to put more effort on this, and we will do it," he said.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda said the suspect has been identified and he is an outsider.
“So far as Vyalikaval case (Mahalakshmi murder case) is concerned, we are investigating from all the angles. The prime suspect who is likely to have committed this ghastly offence is identified. The only thing is we are yet to apprehend him. As and when the person is caught and the interrogation is done, then we will be able to provide further details,” Dayananda told media here.
According to police sources, several investigation teams have been formed to trace the culprits. Some teams have fanned out to various parts of India to arrest those involved in the crime.
The victim’s family demanded justice for her.
“The owner of the building informed me that there was foul smell coming from the house. When I came and opened the door I saw the body of Mahalakshmi cut into pieces. I saw her for the last time on Rakshabandhana festival. Since then her phone was switched off,” Mahalakshmi's mother Meena Rana told reporters.
Seeking punishment for the accused, the victim's elder sister said, “Who cuts a woman into pieces like this? I saw her a year ago. Now I saw her in pieces.”
