UP govt adopting extreme posture: Sharad Pawar on Rahul Gandhi being manhandled by police

Candlelight vigil organised by Congress, in Mumbai on Friday. (Photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

Criticising the Uttar Pradesh Police over its manhandling of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, allies NCP and Shiv Sena on Friday took on the Yogi Aadityanath government.

In Pune, NCP chief Sharad Pawar told mediapersons, “The UP government is adopting an extreme posture. They have no value for law… They should have allowed Rahul Gandhi to go to Hathras. Rahul and Priyanka (Gandhi Vadra) had gone there while maintaining peace. They wanted to meet the victim’s family. Whatever happened with them was not appropriate.”

Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka were prevented on Thursday from going to the village of the Hathras Dalit teenager, who died after she was brutally assaulted and allegedly gangraped by upper caste men. Their cavalcade was stopped en route where there was a scuffle with the UP Police, in which Rahul fell to the ground.

Sena MP Sanjay Raut said the behaviour meted out to Rahul was akin to the “gangrape of democracy”. “Rahul Gandhi is Indira Gandhi’s grandson. He is Rajiv Gandhi’s son also. Both have sacrificed their lives for this country. You may disagree with Rahul Gandhi’s politics but what happened in UP, where a Dalit girl was raped and murdered and a political leader is going to meet the family, is unacceptable. The way he was stopped is unacceptable. His collar was caught and he was pushed to the ground… this is like the gangrape of democracy,” he told mediapersons.

Raut, without naming actor Kangana Ranaut, said that while there is an outrage over the demolition of an illegal office at an actor’s house in Mumbai, nobody is allowed to ask questions when a Dalit girl is gangraped and murdered.

Meanwhile, NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar described the murder of the teen as a shame on humanity. “The incident in Uttar Pradesh is a shame on humanity. It is being condemned by everyone. There are no words to describe such kind of horrific incidents,” Ajit said in Pune.

He added that such incidents against women and those from the backward communities raise many issues. “There is a discussion after such an incident and again everyone goes back to work. Efforts should be made to ensure that such incidents do not take place. There should be laws that scare criminals from committing such crimes. The Union government needs to bring in strict laws,” Ajit said.

On Rahul and Priyanka being stopped from meeting the victim’s family, he said, “Any political or social leader or those representing NGOs have the right to meet the family.”

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