Rahul, Priyanka indulging in political hypocrisy over Hathras case: Prasad
Patna: Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday lashed out at Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for displaying political hypocrisy over the horrific alleged rape and killing of a Dalit girl in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh.
Addressing a press conference here, Prasad, who is also a senior BJP leader, questioned the brother-sister duos silence over similar horrific crimes in Congress-ruled Rajasthan while kicking up a storm over the incident in UP where the saffron party is in power.
He also scoffed at a question about Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlots reported statement that he would not stop BJP leaders from visiting his state unlike in UP, where the Yogi Adityanath administration thwarted the tour of the former Congress president and the AICC general secretary.
I do not attach much importance to Ashok Gehlot. But I want to ask Priyanka Gandhi you indulge in the rhetoric of 18 saal ki beti (18-year-old daughter) getting raped in UP.
Why were you and your brother silent about Rajasthan? The rape victims there too were somebodys daughters. This is political hypocrisy, Prasad said.
To a question about restrictions on journalists access to the site of the crime at Hathras allegedly being reminiscent of Emergency, Prasad shot back The country has a disposition wherein all those holding high offices, be it the president, the prime minister, or yours truly - the law minister have gone to jails fighting the Emergency.
He responded with a smirk when asked about the suggestion of a Shiv Sena MLA of Maharashtra that a case be lodged in connection with the Hathras incident in that state and a Mumbai Police team be sent to the UP town for investigation, citing the example of actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death by suicide.
"Sushant Singh Rajput was a Patna-born. His father had lodged an FIR here because he resides here and he was not satisfied with the probe conducted by the police in Mumbai where his son had died. I am bemused at the strange parallel being drawn by the Shiv Sena, said Prasad, who represents Patna Sahib in the Lok Sabha.
