LUCKNOW: Intensifying its attack on PM Modi and Yogi governments, the
Congress party decided to observe black day on April 17 to protest rising crimes against women in the country.
"Be it the case of teenaged victim in UP's Unnao or the story of Asifa, the eight-year-old girl in
Kathua who was gangraped for seven days and then killed, the
BJP has failed to provide the common minimum need of safety to women across the country. The graph of crimes against women has gone up in India and BJP ruled states and thus, the congress party will observe April 17 as the black day against this trend," said Sushmita Dev, president All India Mahila Congress.
Dev reached Lucknow on Thursday morning to launch a protest march against the Yogi government which has drawn flak in case of the
Unnao rape case. Raising anti-government slogans, the women brigade broke bangles on the street to show their resentment for failure of government machinery to control law and order.
Swaying party flags amidst echo of lamenting catchphrases, the party workers demanded immediate arrest of the accused BJP MLA
Kuldeep Singh Sengar. UP Congress Committee and youth congress workers also joined the protest. The two-hour long demonstration ended with detention of the protesters.
"During elections, a popular slogan campaigning for Modi read - 'Band karo ab mahila pe atyachar... abki baar modi sarkar'. What happened to that promise Modi ji? Is this the way your party treats women Yogi ji? I actions have proven that the promise was also a 'jumla'," she said.
Demanding yogi's resignation and suspension of Kuldeep Singh Sengar from BJP, Dev further said, " If Prime Minister Modi was to prove that his promise to ensure safety of women was true, he must remove CM yogi and order his party leadership to suspend the accused MLA.
The congress party showed its woman power during the protest. Stating that both central and state governments had ignored the safety of women for granted, former Congress MP Unnao, Annu Tandon said: "the case in Unnao lends a face to many other victims across UP. We have data to prove that crime in UP has gone up ever since Yogi took charge."
Congress MLA Aradhana Mishra said that seriousness of the yogi government for women could be gauged from the fact that chairperson for the state women's commission is yet to be appointed. "A headless women's commission suggests how casually BJP government takes the issues pertaining to women," she said.
