After holding a massive protest against the Unnao rape case ion Lucknow, Mahila Congress national president and MP, Sushmita Dev hit out at the Modi government at the Centre and Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh for the increase in atrocities against women across the country.
“Yogi should immediately be removed for failing to protect the women in the state which was the main promise of the BJP during the 2017 Assembly polls,” she said while questioning that how a rapist BJP MLA could continue to be in the BJP - ‘a party with a difference’.
Addressing media persons in Lucknow on Thursday, Dev said that the BJP MLA responsible for the Unnao rape case should immediately be put behind bars and an impartial probe be conducted.
“The CM has lost the moral right to continue any further for openly protecting a rapist MLA,” she charged.
The Mahila Congress president questioned the Yogi government what took it nine months to lodge an FIR against the MLA, why did the police not file an FIR after the murder of the victim’s father and why was the name of the legislator missing from the FIR.
“The UP government suddenly became actively sensitive only after the Allahabad High Court took suo moto congizance of the incident,” she said.
The Congress MP also did not spare Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chie Amit Shah and questioned that when they were in the habit of tweeting on every small issue, why did they not condemn the rape incident in which one of their own MLA was involved.
“The PM calls for ‘Beti Bachao’ but here in UP they go for the slogan of Beti harrassment,” she said.
Commenting on the fast organised by BJP leaders in the country on Thursday, Dev said that the BJP was protesting against opposition blocking the Parliament but was the BJP running the country smoothly.
Dev said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi was in touch with the leaders and on his direction, she and other leaders came to Lucknow to lead the protest.
“I would like to ask Union minister Smriti Irani about her opinion on the Unnao incident. It is surprising that she too is keeping mum. Irani should visit Unnao like she did in Amethi to pacify the victim and her family,” she said.
Congress MLA Aradhana Mishra pointed out that while the Yogi government claimed that it was a pro-women government, why did it not appoint any one to head the UP Women’s Commission so far.
Former MP from Unnao, Anu Tandon alleged that the crime rate against women in the state had spiked many folds and thanked the media for highlighting the woes of the women across the state.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of Congress workers, including women and youth, were arrested by the police while they were protesting and trying to bring out a procession in Lucknow to protest against the Unnao rape incident on Thursday.
The agitation led by Mahila Congress national president Sushmita Dev tried to break police cordon near the state Congress headquarters and reach Hazratganj. But they were stopped and later arrested by the police.
Prominent women leaders arrested included former MP Annu Tandon, MLAs Aradhana Mishra and Aditi Singh, several Congress Mahila Morcha activits and NSUI members. Later, the arrested were taken to Cantonment police station and later released.