‘Is being part of Modi’s political family a safety guarantee for criminals?’: Rahul, Priyanka step up attacks over Karnataka sex abuse case

The Congress continued its attack on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over sex abuse allegations against JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, with both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stepping up their attack on Wednesday. JD(S) and BJP are allies in Karnataka.

In a post online, Rahul wrote, “As usual, Narendra Modi has maintained a shameful silence on the gruesome crimes against women in Karnataka. He will have to answer why, despite knowing everything, they (BJP) promoted the monster who exploited hundreds of daughters, just for the sake of votes? How did such a big criminal escape from the country with such ease?”

He added, “From Kaiserganj to Karnataka and Unnao to Uttarakhand, the Prime Minister’s silent support to the culprits who target daughters is boosting the morale of criminals. Is being part of Modi’s ‘political family’ a ‘guarantee of safety’ for criminals?”

Speaking in Assam, Priyanka said, “These people (BJP leaders) talk of women’s security. You must have seen what is happening in Karnataka. People associated with their party have committed such offences (BJP and JD(S) are in alliance for Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka). Thousands of videos have come out. What do we find? Modiji had campaigned for the person who committed those offences. The offender fled the country and no one stopped him. Neither Modiji nor Amit Shah stopped him.

They let him escape. Wherever there have been offences against women, be it Hathras in UP or Unnao, Modiji was silent. Instead they tried to protect the offenders… In Manipur, a jawan’s wife was stripped and paraded. Everyone saw the video. Modiji, Amit Shah also must have seen it. So why were they silent?” she said.

During her address, she also reached out to women voters and claimed that the BJP has done “nothing for the women”. “The ones who carry the most burden are women. They go to work, they go to the fields and they go to jobs. Then they come home and look after children, cook food, look after everyone… For them, the BJP government is offering nothing. The truth is you get a ration of 5 kg and along with it Rs 1,200 (under Assam Government’s Orunodoi financial assistance scheme for women). He (PM Narendra Modi) tells you ‘bas chup raho’ (now keep mum)…” she said.

She further also hit out at Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, claiming that there were “big allegations against the former Congress leader and when he joined BJP, those allegations vanished”, thanks to the “BJP washing machine”.

Priyanka was campaigning in Gauripur in Assam’s Dhubri for party candidate Rakibul Hussain, who is locked in a triangular contest against sitting MP AIUDF’s Badruddin Ajmal and BJP-partner and AGP’s Zabed Islam.