Not a word from tweet-friendly Rahul Gandhi': Sitharaman questions Congress on Hoshiarpur rape

Union Finance Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday slammed Congress for its "selective outrage" in wake of the alleged rape and killing of a six-year-old girl Hoshiarpur district of Punjab and questioned the silence of "tweet friendly" Rahul Gandhi and asked if the incident didn't shake the conscience of the "brother and sister who rush to every place that can help them politically."

"A 6-year-old child of a Dalit migrant labourer from Bihar is raped, killed and body half-burnt in Hoshiarpur (Punjab) and it does not shake the conscience of the brother and sister who rush to every other place which can help them politically," Sitharaman said while addressing a press conference at the party headquarter here.

"Why is the brother-sister pair not going and voicing horror in Hoshiarpur? Why not in Rajasthan? The selective cry of outrage that the Congress wants to show when it is elsewhere but not in their governed states is completely exposed. Not a word from the tweet-friendly leader Rahul Gandhi. No tweets on this (Hoshiarpur rape incident), no outrage on this, and no picnic on this. A woman heads the party. Does this kind of selective outrage suits the stature of their party," she added.

Sitharaman said that the Congress party should stand up and answer.

"Does this kind of selective outrage suits the stature of their party? The BJP will stand up for justice and will ensure that justice is delivered to this family, and in time," she said.

The BJP leader said that no rape should be politicised.

"All political parties together will have to make sure that the system responds speedily and justice is delivered in time in cases of rape," she said.

"No rape should be politicised. But because we want our political games to be played, we are selective about voicing horror when it is in some states and remain in absolute silence when it is in states governed by Congress party," she added.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain (retired) Amarinder Singh on Friday expressed shock over the rape and murder incident and called for immediate trial and punishment of the guilty.

In the horrifying incident, a six-year-old girl was allegedly raped, killed, and later set on fire and her half-burnt body was found at home at Jalalpur village in Tanda, police said on Thursday.

Two accused have been arrested by the police and further investigation is underway.

( With inputs from ANI )