Congress president Rahul Gandhi took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and referred to the rape of girls and women at a shelter home, saying it is a story of the one who assures and the one who vows to give good governance. Rahul also attacked the Centre over the inaction of BJP Governments in States, especially Uttar Pradesh, that according to him has created an atmosphere of fear among Dalits and religious minorities.
“Story of ashwasan babu (the one who assures) and susashan babu (the one who vows good governance)... We have heard that the one elected (Modi) has merely given a slogan of beti bachao (save the girl child),” Rahul said in a tweet. The Congress leader also posted a news report about the rape incident.
The ‘beti bachao, beti padhao’ (save the girl child, educate the girl child) is a slogan of the NDA Government. Nitish Kumar is often referred to as ‘sushasan babu’, for his good governance plank.
Congress and various other Opposition parties have accused Modi of only making false promises and giving assurances which are never fulfilled. The current dispensation, the Gandhi scion alleged, has allowed the “climate of fear” and lawlessness “to not only prevail but also flourish”. He said it was important for the Congress to reach out to the victims of “mindless violence”.
The hate speeches made by various BJP Ministers and leaders exhorting their followers to target certain communities “encourages local goons to act with impunity”, he said.
The Congress chief alleged that the inaction of BJP State Governments, especially in Uttar Pradesh, has created an “atmosphere of fear amongst Dalits and religious minorities”.
In a letter to the Schedule Caste (SC) Department of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), Rahul Gandhi has said it is important for the party to reach out to the victims of the “mindless violence” and publicly support them. The complicity of State agencies, that makes such large-scale persecution possible, “must be exposed,” he wrote in his July 27 letter.
He said, it would be expedient on part of the SC Department of the party to examine the recent instances of violence against Dalits where the State had failed to act against the perpetrators.
“There is an urgent need for a larger public discourse regarding the systemic persecution unleashed by this regime. Towards this end, I request you to take up these issues in all relevant platforms. And apprise me on the same,” Rahul said.