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AICC National General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. (Express file) A day after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra named the Unnao rape victim’s mother as a Congress candidate for the Uttar Pradesh elections, the BJP launched a scathing attack asking why the Congress leader didn’t visit the family of a disabled girl who was allegedly sexually abused in Rajasthan’s Alwar district.
“When this gruesome incident took place in Alwar, Priyanka Vadra, who calls herself [a] champion of women was there. It was Priyanka Vadra’s birthday and she was with her husband, Mr Vadra, in the Ranthambore forest. She was there to celebrate her birthday,” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told a presser, referring to Tuesday night’s incident where a disabled girl was found abandoned 25-30 km away from her Alwar home after alleged sexual assault.
Patra accused Congress leaders of “selective politics” over atrocities against women. “Today, the question is, Priyanka-ji, did you go to meet the daughter of Rajasthan? You and Rahul Gandhi go across the country wherever there is any injustice and atrocity is committed. You take pictures with them and make them viral,” he said.
“You are doing politics in Unnao. But the issue now has become Unnao vs yahan n aao (don’t come here)… You can go to Unnao but you cannot visit Rajasthan,” Patra said, in a reference to Priyanka’s meeting with the family of the Unnao rape victim.
“Did you go to see the victim, who is admitted to the ICU? Did you visit the victim’s house? Did you ask the Chief Minister about the victim? Did you seek a report from Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot about the incident,” Patra asked.
“Aisa kyon hai ki aap Uttar Pradesh me jakar kahti hain ki ladki hun lad sakti hun, lekin Rajasthan me ladki hun, ladna mana hai. (Why is it that you say in Uttar Pradesh that I can fight because I am a girl but in Rajasthan, I am not allowed to fight [for justice] because I am girl,” Patra said, alleging that Priyanka is keeping quiet because her party is in power in Rajasthan.
The BJP spokesperson also alleged that some BJP MPs and senior workers who tried to meet Priyanka over the Alwar incident were not allowed to do so because “she was celebrating her birthday in the Ranthambhore forest in Rajasthan”.
Patra also criticized Rajasthan minister Mamta Bhupesh for her alleged remark that the “rapists was not wearing a tilak” so that they could be identified and arrested immediately. “Linking tilak with rapists… what kind of politics is it? Mamata-ji and Ashok Gehlot-ji should apologize for this,” he said.
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