New Delhi/Jammu, Apr 15 : The Congress today dismissed the BJP’s demand of sacking its Jammu and Kashmir unit chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir for allegedly terming the Kathua rape and murder case as “motivated”, saying it was because of his demand that the inquiry into the matter had seen some progress initially.
The Congress also termed as “misleading” the BJP’s talk of its two State ministers resigning from their posts for taking part in a protest march supporting those accused of raping and killing the eight-year-old girl.
The opposition party claimed that it was because of the pressure exerted by the people and the protest march led by party chief Rahul Gandhi that saw the ruling BJP take the action against its ministers.
Congress leader Pawan Khera said the party did not defend its Karnataka leader Dinesh Gundurao’s remark that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath be shown slippers over Kathua and Unnao rape cases if he entered the state.
Khera said Gundurao was a father of two and like everybody else he was “deeply disturbed by what is happening to daughters in the country”.
The BJP today released a video purportedly showing Mir calling the police probe in the Kathua case as motivated and defending the public protests against it. The saffron party demanded that Gandhi sack him.
“Mir sahab has clearly said that the video they are talking about is one or one-and-half months old Because of Mir sahab’s demand that there was some progress, action in the case,” Khera told reporters here.
“So, the talk of sacking (by the BJP) someone is misleading. Today, in fact, they (the BJP) should have kept quite. Today people are asking them questions, who are they (the BJP) to ask questions,” he asked.
Hitting back at the BJP over the rape incidents, Khera accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of providing merely a “lip service” and of taking time to respond to them.
Khera claimed that the two Jammu and Kashmir ministers, Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga, had to resign due to pressure.
“You removed two ministers, that too in the wake of pressure… But why Ajay Singh Bisht (Yogi Adityanath, UP CM) was not removed?” he asked.
Asked about the BJP’s comment that Gundurao made the remarks as the Congress wanted to incite violence sensing its defeat in the May 12 Karnataka assembly polls, Khera said his party was not defending the remark.
“But don’t forget, without supporting what Mr Gundurao said, he is a father of two daughters. Today, we are all deeply distressed to see what is happening to our daughters in this country,” Khera said.
“Everywhere you have these ghastly stories, barbarism of the worst kind. Everybody’s blood boils today,” he added.
Khera also played down as “Noora Kushti” (fixed match) the BJP’s allegation that some AAP workers had sported saffron “gamchas” and raised provocative slogans in front of a mosque in Delhi during a Ram Navami procession to instigate riots.
“We have been talking about their noora kushti (fixed match) since the time the AAP was formed. Time and again we get to see how they play politics complementing each other,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, J&K Congress chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir today claimed it was after his demand that the accused in the Kathua rape case were arrested and said he had never raised questions on the state police’s probe in the matter.
Mir’s remarks came after the BJP this morning played a video purportedly showing him calling the police probe into the rape and killing of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua as motivated and defending the public protests against it.
“This is an old video. The statement was given by me in March. It was prior to the arrest of the mastermind and main accused, and others (in the Kathua case),” he said.
The saffron party has also demanded that Congress president Rahul Gandhi sack Mir.
“It was after my statement, the main accused and mastermind, Sanji Ram, and others were arrested. I never raised question mark on the probe (by the crime branch). I have never demanded a CBI probe (into the matter),” Mir told PTI.
In the video, which was played during a press conference at the BJP’s New Delhi headquarters, Mir is purportedly telling reporters that the locals believed the investigation was motivated and that the main culprits were still at large.
It was played in the presence of senior BJP leader and Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar and Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari.
The playing of video by the BJP is aimed at diverting attention from the involvement of its J-K ministers and party leaders in the Rassana agitation to shield the culprits of the Kathua case, Mir alleged.
