The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday has sought a report from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Jharkhand regarding Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi’s comment on ‘rape in India’ which he made during a public rally in the state last week.
Union Minister for Women and Child Welfare Smriti Irani and other women leaders from the BJP had lodged a complaint with the ECI. They had sought “severest possible action” for “tarnishing the image of the country for his own politics”.
Addressing a rally in Godda on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi remarked, “Narendra Modi had said ‘Make in India’ but nowadays wherever you look, it is ‘Rape in India’. In Uttar Pradesh Narendra Modi’s MLA raped a woman, then she met with an accident but Narendra Modi did not utter a word.”
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This comment led to an outrage in the parliament and on the streets, with the BJP accusing the Congress leader of using rape as a ‘political weapon’ to settle scores with the Prime Minister.
Minister Smriti Irani had said: “Who has given Rahul Gandhi the right to say that all women are being raped in the country? Who has given Rahul Gandhi the right to say that every man is a rapist? Who has given Rahul Gandhi the right to tarnish the image of the country for his own politics?”
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had described these comments as “horrendous”.
Responding to these demands, Rahul Gandhi refused to apologize and said at the Bharat Bachao rally, “My name is not Rahul Savarkar, I am Rahul Gandhi. I will never apologise for speaking truth and nor will any Congressman do so. It is Narendra Modi and his assistant Amit Shah who has to apologise to the country for destroying India’s economy.”
He also accused the BJP of diverting attention from issues related to the economy and unrest created in the North-Eastern part of India over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.