NEW DELHI: Anurag Thakur on Thursday claimed that the opposition was “running away from a discussion” in Parliament on the Manipur situation, accusing them of using incidents of crime against women to further political gains. Speaking to reporters outside of Parliament, he stated that the administration was prepared for a discussion in the House over the situation in Manipur, during which time similar cases of crime against women in other states, such as Rajasthan, should also be covered. The opposition leaders in Manipur, where there has been ethnic violence since May 3, were outraged by a video showing two women being paraded by a group of men, and they sought a debate in Parliament about the situation in the state.Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally spoke out about the Manipur issue, saying it was a disgrace for any civilised society and that those responsible would face the full force of the law. “Unfortunately, the opposition is politicising this occurrence and viewing it through a political lens. The opposition is avoiding debate, despite our claims that we are prepared for it, said Thakur, the minister of information and broadcasting. The senior BJP leader also brought up instances of violence against women in Rajasthan and suggested that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, two prominent members of the Congress, should also address these issues.”Will Sonia Gandhi and the opposition watch such events in other states without saying a word, crying solely for one state (Manipur)? How is it possible to make distinctions across states in terms of the prevalence of crimes against women? Women are being used by you as a political pawn, Thakur stated. The BJP representative asserted that Rajasthan, a state governed by the Congress, had experienced the greatest number of atrocities committed against women. “Over 10 lakh criminal cases have been registered in the last 54 months, more than 7,500 innocent people have been killed, and 1.90 lakh cases of atrocities against women have been reported,” he asserted. These numbers are self-evident. Additionally, there have been incidences of Dalit women being raped. According to the minister, Rajasthan is the state with the highest rate of crimes against women. He questioned whether Congresswoman Sonia Gandhi was aware of the viral video of a Rajasthani gangrape in which the victim was brutalised in front of her husband. A 10-year-old child in Jaipur witnessed his mother being raped and burned, just five kilometres from the chief minister’s residence, according to Thakur, who also noted that Congress MLA Divya Maderna had admitted she felt unsafe in Rajasthan. “We have stated that we are open to discussion on Manipur. Thakur said, Why are you running away from discussion, Sonia ji and Rahul ji? You will have to respond to the incidents in Rajasthan”.
