New Delhi:
The Congress on Saturday slammed the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over alleged violence and misbehaviour with women during the filing nominations for block panchayat chiefs, with party leader Rahul Gandhi derisively saying violence has been renamed “masterstroke” in the state.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that the BJP had “crossed” all limits to stop the nomination of a woman in the polls.
“A few years ago, a rape victim raised her voice against a BJP MLA and an attempt was made to kill her and her family. Today, the BJP crossed all limits to stop the nomination of a woman. Same government. Same behaviour,” she tweeted in Hindi.
Along with the tweet, she also tagged a video purportedly showing a woman being stopped from filing her nomination in the polls.
Later, in another tweet, Priyanka Gandhi said people voted and elected Block Development Councils and “Yogi ji’s jungle raj threatened them with bullets, bombs, stones, sticks, kidnapped them, misbehaved with female members.”
“(Chief Minister) Yogi ji’s jungle raj has become dominant over democracy that runs on the power of votes. They should keep in mind that this country, its democracy, its people are bigger than them,” the Congress general secretary in-charge UP said.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, in a tweet in Hindi, said that in Uttar Pradesh, violence has been renamed “masterstroke”.
The brother-in-law of a block development committee member was killed in Bahraich as he resisted an alleged attempt to abduct his relative by a BJP candidate’s husband and supporters ahead of the polls for the block panchayat head.
In another incident in Lakhimpur Kheri, a Samajwadi Party candidate was allegedly manhandled by BJP workers, after which six policemen were suspended and the administration ordered a magisterial probe.
A woman BDC member’s saree was also pulled in front of police officers, alleged the Congress and sought an apology from the state government.
