Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the Centre’s approval to release 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case showed the difference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words and actions on respect for women.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Gujarat told the Supreme Court in an affidavit on Monday that the Union home ministry had approved the remission of the life-term sentences of the convicts as they had been in jail for 14 years and their behaviour was found to be good.
“Talks of respect for women from the Red Fort, but in reality stands with rapists,” Gandhi tweeted in Hindi on Tuesday. “The difference between the prime minister’s promises and intentions is clear. The PM has only deceived women.”
In his Independence Day speech this year, Modi had spoken about women’s empowerment.
“We have been casually using language and words that are insulting to women,” Modi had said. “Can we not pledge to get rid of everything in our behaviour, culture and everyday life that humiliates and demeans women? Women’s pride is going to be a huge asset in fulfilling the dreams of the nation.”
However, on the same day, the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape and murder case were released from a Godhra jail after the Gujarat government approved their application under its remission policy.
The Supreme Court is hearing petitions challenging the release of the prisoners filed by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Subhasini Ali, independent journalist and filmmaker Revati Laul as well as Professor Roop Rekh Varma.
A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and CT Ravikumar hearing the petitions, deferred the hearing on Tuesday to November 29.
Bilkis Bano was gangraped on March 3, 2002, during the riots in Gujarat. She was 19 and pregnant at the time. Fourteen members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter, were murdered by the rioters near Ahmedabad.
One of the men snatched the girl from her mother’s arms and smashed her head on a rock. At the time Modi was the chief minister of the state.
Siddaramaiah demands Amit Shah’s resignation
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah for approving the release of the 11 convicts.
“Home Minister Office’s order to release the convicts in Bilkis Bano case, exposes the cruel mindset of the BJP leaders,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “They [Centre] have brought shame to the entire country by granting pardon to these inhuman vultures. Amit Shah should resign and apologise to the entire nation.”
Siddaramaiah also alleged that the premature remission that came months before Gujarat Assembly polls shows that the BJP wants to win the elections by stoking sensitive matters.
“The release of those inhuman rapists and murderers is to polarise electorate ahead of Gujarat elections,” he said. “For BJP, elections become more important than the concerns of women of this country.”
The politician also sought response from women MPs of the BJP, Nirmala Sitharaman and Shobha Karandlaje, on the release of the convicts.
“If they can’t stand up even for women’s causes, they are unfit to continue in their positions,” the Congress leader said. “Can they sleep peacefully knowing that rapists were released by their party for political reasons?”
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