BJP today said those accused in Kathua and Unnao incidents cases should be given a stringent punishment and claimed that the police acted quickly in both the cases.

Speaking to the media in New Delhi, party spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi hit out at Congress for politicizing the Kathua and Unnao incidents. She said, a fair investigation is being conducted in the Kathua case. She said, SIT was formed and six-seven people have been arrested. Ms Lekhi said, her party has not shied away from condemning the act.

She said, BJP had in its state executive in Jammu and Kashmir passed a resolution that the family of the victim in Kathua be delivered justice. About the two Ministers who joined a rally in support of the accused, Ms Lekhi said, they were misguided, as happens in public life, many people come up to you to say that their side of the story is correct.

On the Unnao rape case, the spokesperson said, the incident took place 10 months ago and the victim had not mentioned the name of the BJP MLA when the police took the statement before the magistrate. She said, it was later that the woman in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused the MLA of rape and the investigations began.

Ms Lekhi said, attacks on BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir part of a pattern of the opposition. She said, first they shout minority minority, then Dalit Dalit, and now women women and then try to somehow fix blame of state issues on the centre. She said, all this while ignoring the strict action being taken by state governments.

She also pointed out that the president of the Jammu and Kashmir Bar Association BS Slathia, accused of harassing the victims lawyer and attempting to block the filing of the charge sheet in the case was the polling agent of Ghulam Nabi Azad and questioned the Congress’ statements blaming the BJP when their own party men were complicit in trying to block the prosecution.

Commenting on the candlelight vigil led by Congress president Rahul Gandhi she said that the party is being selective and had not done so for the victims of other rape cases and the anti-Sikh riots in 1984.

The Spokesperson also accused the media of selective coverage of crimes against women and girls.