Get in sync with reality, Congress tells RSS

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had said that crimes such as rape "hardly take place in Bharat, but they occur frequently in India".

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said that “westernisation” in Indian cities was the reason behind increasing cases of rape. File photo

The Congress on Friday slammed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his controversial comment that rape was mainly prevalent in urban India and it did not happen in rural areas, asking the saffron outfit to get in sync with reality.

“He [Mr. Bhagwat] is very confused ... I think they all [the RSS] have the same problem. I think it is better that they all contemplate and come out with more clarity in thought and action. That kind of dialogue is not relevant in real life,” party spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury said at a briefing.

AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh said “this reflects RSS’ mentality because there is no difference between India and Bharat.”

Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi said such statements were unfortunate. Rape incidents occur in villages as well. “Nobody has the right to draw a ‘Lakshman Rekha’… .”

CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat said: “Mr. Bhagwat neither understands India nor Bharat.” She said government statistics of atrocities on women and sexual assault showed that the maximum number of victims were the poor, Dalits and tribals.

National Commission for Women chief Mamta Sharma said Mr. Bhagwat should stop differentiating in terms of geography. “We are all Indians. We are all citizens of India ... Go to grassroots level and see what is the condition of the women there.”

Social activist Kiran Bedi said: “The ground reality is when does the rape victim report her crime, when there is a police station available, when there is a sensitive officer to report the crime, when the family takes you to report the crime, when there is a doctor to examine you, when she knows the accused will not be bailed out and will not harass her ... these facilities just do not exist in ‘Bharat’. These exist in India, i.e. in Delhi, in Mumbai.”

Meanwhile, RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said Mr. Bhagwat’s statement should be taken in proper perspective. “He has condemned the heinous crime of assaulting women, rape and he said it is an utterly wrong thing and that people who indulge in such things must be punished,” he added