Anurag Thakur fires ‘ladki hoon’ salvo at Priyanka Gandhi, questions crimes against women in Opposition-ruled Rajasthan, Bihar, Bengal
Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, July 22
With the Opposition continuing to corner the BJP on Manipur sexual violence video, the ruling party on Saturday stepped up counter-offensive asking why Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar, Tejashvi Yadav and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are not visiting Bihar, Bengal and Rajasthan, where violent crimes against women are on the rise.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur today listed a range of brutal crimes against women in the Congress-ruled Rajasthan, TMC-ruled Bengal and JDU- and RJD-ruled Bihar to ask, “Why is no Opposition delegation visiting these states. I suggest they must certainly form a delegation and go to all these places.”
Thakur took swipe at Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for her 2022 Uttar Pradesh election slogan “Ladki hoon lad sakti hoon”.
“Ladki hoon lad sakti hoon magar Rajasthan nahi jaa sakti hoon (I am a girl and I can fight but I cannot visit Rajasthan,” Thakur said slamming Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot for sacking minister Rajendra Gudha who yesterday questioned his own government’s failures to curb crimes against women and said in the state Assembly that the “credibility of CM Gehlot stands eroded.”
“The PM spoke of taking strong action against women-related crimes irrespective of where these are committed. The Rajasthan Government took a very strong step yesterday by sacking its own minister who spoke for women’s safety,” said Thakur.
He alleged that Rajasthan was the top state in crimes against women, and the list of heinous crimes was long.
“In Vaishali Nagar, 5 km from Rajasthan CM’s residence, a mother is raped before a child and is forced to die; in Karauli a Dalit girl is gang-raped, killed brutally and dumped into a well. Nearly 22 per cent of all crimes against women in India are in Rajasthan. In Bihar’s Begusarai a violent crime has been reported. In Bengal women were paraded naked. Where is Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi?” Thakur asked in a blistering attack on the Opposition parties whom he accused of running away from a debate on crimes against women in Parliament.
Thakur said the Opposition did not want crimes against women in states ruled by them to be raised and was therefore evading a discussion.
“The government has repeatedly said it is ready for a discussion. Why did the Opposition waste two days? What is the Opposition afraid of? Are they disinterested because a certain leader is no longer an MP?” asked Thakur in a jibe at Rahul Gandhi.
Thakur also asked the Opposition to come to Parliament on Monday, prepared with a list of crimes in their states.
“When a discussion happens, crimes in all states will be raised. Everyone will get an equal opportunity to say what they want,” Thakur said, indicating that any debate on women-related crimes in Parliament would have to be state-neutral and not state-specific.
Thakur also questioned the Opposition fixation on the rules for the said debate.
“At least, let a discussion begin, no matter what the rule. A discussion is important, not the rule. In any case, it is for the presiding officers to decide which rule to invoke. The fact is the Opposition is playing politics on crimes against women, and it should stop doing that,” Thakur said.
