In the backdrop growing protests by the Opposition, ruling BJP came down heavily on opposition parties for linking name of Minister Bhagaban Das’s son with the Kumarghat gang rape case.
Rubbishing the allegation, BJP general secretary Papia Datta and Chief Whip of Assembly Kalyani Roy, while addressing a press conference in Agartala on Saturday (Oct 29) claimed there are enough proof to prove that son of the Minister was not involved in the gang rape.
Both Datta and Roy also said the opposition parties are conspiring to divert the attention of people as people are getting benefits several government schemes under the BJP-led Government in Tripura.
“Social allowances and pensions have been hiked by the incumbent BJP-government. People are now getting benefits of housing schemes, health care services under Ayusman Bharat and other schemes without wasting time running behind party leaders. This has rattled the nerve of the opposition parties. In the run up to Assembly polls, they linked name of the Minister’s son falsely to misguide people”, Papia Datta told the media.
Datta also referred to Ujan Maidan and other incidents during the alliance government and incidents of atrocities on women and rapes during the Left regime. However, she pointed out crime against women took place in the past does not mean the same will be allowed to happen under BJP rule.
She said the BJP-led government is committed to take stern action against the culprits involved in crime like rape.
Addressing the media, Kalyani Roy expressed grief over the incidents of gang rape and condemned the incidents.
Referring to PM Modi’s Beti Bachau and Kanya Suraksha Yojana, Kalyani Roy said, it is normal that present Tripura government will adopt a zero tolerance attitude towards such crime against women.
The Chief Whip said, the opposition parties, including the Communists, have started falsely accusing the minister’s son of crimes like rape to warm up the field months before the assembly election.
Taking a swipe at the CPIM, she said the communists have become so much bankrupted that they have to make a heinous crime like rape a political issue to regain grounds in Tripura. Opposition parties are doing this only to gain political advantage, Roy alleged.
Earlier, convicts were acquitted by Khap Panchayat and if the complaint was taken to the police station, a weak charge sheet would have been framed. The current government is determined to protect women. This government has taken strict legal action against those who are guilty. The police are impartially arresting the culprits irrespective of culprit’s political affiliation. The police have arrested six of the accused in the Kumarghat incident, Kalyani Roy said.
Police have arrested two of those involved in the Kalyanpur incident. Police are trying to arrest the rest of the accused. The police have been told by the government that the rapist has no political colour.