Kushinagar/Deoria/Lucknow: A full-scale war of words broke out Sunday between Narendra Modi and Mayawati over the Alwar gangrape incident with the Prime Minister accusing the BSP supremo of ‘shedding crocodile tears’, a charge trashed by Mayawati as his ‘dirty politics’.
Addressing election rallies in Kushinagar and Deoria in eastern Uttar Pradesh, the Prime Minister mounted a scathing attack on the BSP supremo and dared her to withdraw support to the Congress government in Rajasthan if she was really serious about the incident.
Hours after his remark, Mayawati charged the Prime Minister with doing ‘dirty politics’ over the gangrape of a Dalit girl and demanded his resignation for incidents of Dalit atrocities in the past.
“In the wake of this (Alwar) incident, Modi is doing dirty politics. The BSP will for sure take an appropriate political decision in the absence of stringent and proper legal action in the case,” Mayawati said in a press note responding to the Prime Minister’s challenge to her to withdraw support to the Congress government in Rajasthan.
The Congress government in Rajasthan has been accused by both the Prime Minister and the BSP supremo of brushing the case aside for political gains.
“The BSP will take a required political decision soon, but why is PM Modi not taking moral responsibility for the incidents in the past, such as Una flogging incident, Rohit Vemulla case or other cases pertaining to Dalit atrocities? Why is he not resigning?” the BSP press note issued in Lucknow said.
The gangrape victim was travelling with her husband on a motorcycle, April 26 when the accused persons stopped them and took them to an isolated place off the road. They allegedly beat the husband and raped her in front of him, threatening both with dire consequences.
The victim’s husband claimed that he had approached Rajasthan police April 26 after the incident, but the FIR was filed only May 2. He had alleged that the police did not take action saying that they were busy with elections.
Expressing concern over the gang rape of the Dalit woman, Mayawati had Saturday alleged that the Congress government in Rajasthan did not let the matter come to anyone’s notice by ‘terrorising’ the victim’s family until the completion of the polling process there.
“Under these circumstances, the victim and her family will not be able to get proper justice. The BSP appeals to the Supreme Court to take notice for ensuring prompt justice and strict punishment to the accused,” Mayawati had stated.