In a shocking statement which has put the state of Chhattisgarh to shame, the Congress government’s labour minister, Shiv Kumar Dahariya, while comparing the Hathras alleged rape case with the established case of rape in Chhattisgarh’s Balrampur, called the latter a “small incident” when compared to that of Hathras. The shocking statement by the Congress minister, of calling the rape of a 14-year old girl in Chhattisgarh a “small incident” has triggered a massive row, with the opposition BJP mounting an aggressive campaign against the Congress state government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
14 year old minor in Balrampur, Chhattisgarh wad drugged, raped, strangled and left to die, @INCMP @INCIndia labour minister Shiv Kumar Dahariya allegedly called it a ‘small incident as compared to #Hathras @drramansingh @BJP4CGState demands resignation @GargiRawat pic.twitter.com/o9W17eLP9Y
— Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary) October 4, 2020
While speaking to media, Dahariya said, “The rape incident in Chhattisgarh is different from that of Hathras. Raman Singh should tweet about the Hathras gangrape, why is he mum on that case? Singh has no other job than to criticise the Chhattisgarh government.” The disgusting remarks by the Chhattisgarh labour minister came in the backdrop of former Chief Minister Raman Singh calling out the Gandhi family for their drama in Uttar Pradesh. While accusing the Congress government of suppressing the gangrape of a minor girl in Balrampur, Raman Singh said, “If Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka are really sensitive towards daughters, they should come to Chhattisgarh and get her justice and demand answers from Bhupesh Baghel. When will the daughter of Chhattisgarh get justice?”
Facing unprecedented flak for his statements, Shiv Kumar Dahariya issued a ‘clarification’, that he was being “wrongly interpreted”.”I was comparing that Hathras incident with what happened in Balrampur. In Hathras, the UP government didn’t ensure proper treatment of the survivor. The way attempts were made to destroy evidence, and she was cremated at night is inhuman and barbaric. In contrast, police in Balrampur took immediate action and arrested the accused,” he said.
It must be mentioned that neither the Congress, nor the media it patronises and nurtures, and neither the Gandhi family currently occupied in village tourism in Uttar Pradesh, have voiced so much as a whimper in the case of rape which occurred in Balrampur, leave alone demanding justice for the victim of the horrific crime and her family. This shows how the Congress party and the media are running a relentless campaign in the Hathras case, only because of the fact that Uttar Pradesh has a BJP government, and more so since it has Yogi Adityanath as its Chief Minister.
It remains to be seen whether the Congress party takes any action against Chhattisgarh labour minister for calling the rape in Balrampur a “small incident” when compared to Hathras.