The Congress on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking why he has not spoken out on the Naliya sex scandal in Gujarat's Kutch region.
The party claimed that the scandal, in which some of the BJP leaders are the accused, exposes the hollowness of the BJP government's Beti Bachao slogan.
Terming the incident another 'Nirbhaya case', Shobha Oza, chairperson of the All India Mahila Congress, said while the Modi government has completed two-and-a-half years in office, women are not safe in his home state.
“Why has the prime minister, who gave the slogan Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, maintained a stoic silence on the issue of Naliya sex scandal of Kutch? The slogan is simply a hollow one as BJP and RSS leaders have become exploiters of women in the country,” she said.
Oza said according to the statement made by the victim, she was drugged and raped by the accused who also videotaped the crime with the intention of blackmailing her. The victim claimed that she was
molested several times after the incident, forcing her to try to commit suicide thrice.
According to Oza, the victim lodged an FIR against BJP leaders. “When the police took them into custody, friends of the accused started threatening the family of the victim, pressuring them to withdraw the charge, and even offered Rs. 1 crore to take back the complaint,” she said.
The Congress demanded that the incident be probed by a sitting judge under the supervision of the High Court. “Why is Modiji not ready for investigation of such incidents when they take place in Gujarat, Assam or other BJP-ruled states?” Oza asked. She also said the BJP delayed action against the accused who belong to the party.
“According to the National Crime Record Bureau, 12 out of the 13 BJP-ruled states lead in cases of rape and molestation of women, but Modiji talks of the situation in other states. Will the prime minister introspect?” she asked.