Rahul Gandhi maligns India internationally, keeps mum on cases of sexual harassment in Congress

Gandhi scion is on his four-day visit to Germany and United Kingdom as a part of his party’s NRI outreach program. The Congress President Rahul Gandhi shared his views on many issues in his address at Kampnagel theatre Bucerius Summer School in Hamburg, Germany. He continues to shame the entire country with his absurd views. In Germany along with many other issues he shared his views about conditions of women in Indian society. Rahul Gandhi said, “There is a huge amount of violence against women in India. India needs to change the way the Indian men view Indian women. Men have to start viewing women as an equal and with respect. I am sorry to say that men do not.” It is no less than calling India a misogynist nation.

His views show that how much misinformed he is about the status of women of India. He made such a bizarre statement in a country which is nowadays in news only for rapes of local women by illegal immigrants and refugees. Instead of punishing the culprits the government is busy in shielding them.

If, Rahul Gandhi is so much concerned about the women of India then he should provide security, safety and Justice to those women of his own party. In recent times, various cases of sexual harassments by Congress leaders and workers have surfaced but Rahul Gandhi maintained stoic silence on such cases let alone taking strong action against the perpetrators. Recently, a former female Congress IT cell employee filed a complaint against Chirag Patnaik. Chirag Patnaik, a member of the Congress IT cell, had been accused of making sexual advances and demanding sexual favours from his female colleague.  The woman had accused Congress President Rahul Gandhi of not taking any action against the accused even after she complained in written to him prior to approaching the police. She even blamed the IT cell head, Divya Spandana, for not coming to her rescue after being informed of the highly inappropriate conduct of Chirag Patnaik towards her.

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Earlier, charges of sexual molestation were leveled against Fairoz Khan, National President of Congress student wing National Students Union of India (NSUI) by a female NSUI member of Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. She had also complained about the matter to the senior Congress’ leaders. In her complaint she wrote, “The National President has not only mentally tortured me to compromise but he has also mentally tortured my younger sister to come to his room. He has also asked my friend to meet him at his private residence at night. There are many other young female activists who also faced the same but they have refrained from coming out publicly so that no other girl is molested or mentally tortured.”

In the past, many Congress leaders have been accused of crime against women.

 In 2013, a congress leader from Assam, Bikram Singh Brahma, was arrested for allegedly raping a married woman. According to a police official, Mr. Brahma “maintained friendly relations” with the woman he allegedly raped, and had even promised her a high post in the Congress party. 

In July 2017, Congress MLA from Kerala M. Vincent was arrested for sexual harassment and stalking a 51 year old woman. In Bihar, Congress leader Brijesh Pandey, brother of controversial journalist Ravish Kumar Pandey, was accused of running a sex racket and molesting a minor dalit girl.

Congress leader of Babu lal Nagar was accused of sexually exploiting and raping a 35 year old woman in 2013. He promised to arrange a government job for her and then continuously sexually assaulted her. He later had to resign from the cabinet minister post.

Veteran Congress leader and the former Rajya Sabha Speaker faced charges  in a case of serial rape of a 16-year-old girl in Kerala in 1996.  In 2016, a Congress leader, Shivanand Hulyalkar, from Pune was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting his 23 year old  employee. In 2013, Haryana cabinet minister Gopal Kanda was charged with rape and unnatural sex with a former air hostess. He was also accused of abetting her suicide. Later, Kanda was forced to resign from the cabinet post. And the list goes on …

There is no word strong enough to describe the sad state of affairs at a national political party which ignores the brazen harassment of women. Rahul Gandhi before tarnishing the image of the country in international forums should work towards ensuring the safety and the security of women in the Congress party. The party should work towards punishing the culprits instead of launching campaign and petition defending the perpetrators or indulge in victim shaming as it has happened in the past.