BJP criticises Rahul Gandhi for tweeting photos of rape victim, asks NCPCR to take action

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Wednesday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for tweeting the photograph of a Dalit girl in Delhi who was allegedly raped and murder. The BJP has attacked him and said he had violated the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. It also requested the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to take cognisance of the matter and issue notice to the Congress leader.
In a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said Rahul had violated POCSO Act and another law dealing with juveniles by tweeting a picture of the girl's parents as disclosing any aspect of a rape victim's identity is an offence.
Rahul Gandhi also came under sharp attack once again over his alleged selective protest. The BJP came down heavily on him for visiting the family of an alleged rape and murder victim in Delhi but ignoring similar cases which took place in the Congress-ruled states.
"This is using Dalits and the poor for furthering your own political agenda," he said, attacking him.
Sambit Patra alleged that Rahul Gandhi was interested in furthering his political agenda.
Patra said the BJP did not have any problem with Rahul Gandhi visiting the family of the victim. However, the Congress leader should display the same eagerness in incidents taking place in the states ruled by their party.
In the past, the BJP has attacked Rahul Gandhi for visiting and spending nights in the houses of Dalits in Uttar Pradesh but ignoring to those in the Congress-ruled states.
The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of using the case of alleged rape and murder of a Dalit girl in southwest Delhi for "furthering" his political agenda, and asserted that the law and order machinery has moved swiftly to deliver justice to the victim's family.
Patra said his party had no issue with Gandhi, who visited the girl's family earlier, calling for justice but what was condemnable was the Gandhi family's "selectivism" as they never tweeted or spoke a word in the cases of atrocities against Dalit girls in the Congress-ruled states like Rajasthan, Punjab and Chhattisgarh.
Gandhi had earlier met the family of the nine-year-old Dalit girl who died here following an alleged sexual assault and asserted that he is with them on the path to justice and "will not back down even an inch".
After meeting the victim's family, the former Congress chief said the family is demanding nothing but justice and is saying that they are not getting it and need all the assistance in this.
Patra cited a number of heinous cases of rapes and other atrocities on Dalit girls and women in Rajasthan, Punjab and Chhattisgarh to hit out at the Congress leader over his "silence".
"You close your eyes and open only when you think you will have some political benefit out of it. This is appalling," he said, adding that the Delhi Police has arrested four accused in the case.
A Dalit's daughter is certainly India's daughter, the BJP spokesperson said quoting a tweet of Gandhi and shot back to ask if Dalit daughters in these Congress-ruled states are not India's daughters.
Rajasthan has topped the country in the cases of rapes, Patra said, citing official figures.
The Rajasthan government had blamed registration of false FIRs allegedly by Dalits for the high numbers, he claimed.
(With inputs from PTI)