Cong raps BJP-led govt for whataboutery over Manipur

New Delhi: Hitting out at the BJP-led government at the Centre for resorting to whataboutery on the issue of brutal gangrape of two women in Manipur, the Congress on Saturday accused the government of running away from discussion in the Parliament like fugitives.

Talking to reporters, party’s Rajya Sabha MP Ranjeet Ranjan questioned Minister for Women and Child Development Smiriti Irani for trying to divert the attention by bringing in the issues and incidents of other states.

While criticising Irani for politicising the issue by selectively raking up the incidents in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Congress leader said that Irani is the union minister of the country, but she has restricted herself to non-BJP-ruled states only.

“There are several incidents of crime against women in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, but the country’s WCD minister remains silent on those incidents. Even in cases of Delhi, where the police is under the direct control of the union home ministry, the union minister doesn’t find any crime, Ranjan said.

The Congress MP further said that the party’s demand was very simple and clear that it wanted discussion in both the Houses of the Parliament to debate an issue, which even Irani had admitted had international ramifications. Why was the government so afraid of the Parliament and Opposition that it started running away like fugitives, the Congress leader asked.

“Whenever the government faces a crisis and has no answers, it brings out the ministers from their “holes”. Even if the ministers had to speak, why can’t they speak in the parliament?” she asked.

Ranjan further asked whether the Prime Minister and Manipur CM were really unaware of the incidents taking place there for the last 80 days and what were the intelligence agencies doing. Were they deliberately trying to hide these incidents, she quipped.

The Congress MP suggested Irani to resign as a minister from a party that neither respects women nor allows anyone to speak about their plight.