With his government under fire for the Bulandshahr gangrape, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday accused the BJP of hatching a “political conspiracy” over the incident.
Mr. Yadav said the BJP was politicising the crime and accused it of tutoring the victims to serve its political agenda in poll-bound UP.
“What are you teaching the victims behind closed doors? What are you conspiring in those rooms? They are zero in terms of development, so they are roaming about in UP,” Mr. Yadav said.
He alleged that “BJP leaders and ministers sitting in rooms” were conspiring to malign the image of his government. “Don’t politicise the incident. The government is probing it and will take action against the culprits. Give us suggestions. The government will help. But what are you conspiring behind closed doors?”
Mr. Yadav, however, did not expand on his allegation.
The Samajwadi Party also came to the defence of its minister Azam Khan who had late on Monday triggered a controversy by suggesting that a “political conspiracy” was at play in the Bulandshahr incident. After drawing flak, he later tried to clarify, saying his words were misinterpreted but not before it triggered a storm. “I am a very sensitive person. The State government is totally with the victims of Bulandshahr incident. I am personally with them more than everyone else,” he said.
On an offensive against Mr. Khan, the BJP, however, also found itself in a fix after one of its State spokespersons I.P Singh on Wednesday targeted Mr. Khan by tweeting that the minister would understand the pain of the victims “only if his daughter and wife were gang raped.”
While Mr. Yadav criticised the BJP for using foul language against Mr. Khan, Samajwadi Party cabinet minister Rajendra Chaudhary went a step ahead and alleged that the BJP was targeting him as he was a “secular leader” who stood against communal forces. “His unwavering faith in secularism is unbearable to his opponents. That’s why he is always under the target of communal forces. The comments by the BJP leader against his relatives reflect the low moral levels of the BJP,” Mr. Chaudhary said.
The BJP hit back at Mr. Yadav for accusing it of politicising the issue, saying he was trying to divert attention from his failures. BJP State president Keshav Prasad Maurya said instead of ensuring justice to the victims, Mr. Yadav was insulting them through such statements. “Till date, the people of UP considered him a failure as a CM, but today his comments proved that he is also anti-women and insensitive,” Mr. Maurya said. Mr. Yadav is “speaking the language of his chacha (uncle), Azam Khan,” said Mr. Maurya. So far, 4,237 crimes against women have taken place in his rule, Mr. Maurya said.
BJP has demanded a CBI probe into the incident, in which a woman and her daughter were gang raped near a highway in Bulandshahr by a gang of dacoits.
