"Congress doing appeasement politics on high command's order": Rajyavardhan Rathore on Barmer rape case

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], April 9 : Hitting out at the Rajasthan government over the Barmer rape case, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Rajyavardhan Rathore on Sunday accused the Congress party of doing "appeasement politics" in the state, adding that it is bringing bad name to the state.

Addressing a press conference here at BJP headquarters, Rathore said, "In Rajasthan, the women are not safe even alone at their homes. This government is made only for the slavery of one family. One can't expect security from a government which stands with criminals and separatists".

He added that because of the Congress government, the state of Rajasthan is getting a bad name.

"Attempts were made to suppress the incident of rape of Dalit women in Balotra, but the incident came out only through media. The police also didn't provide any help to the victim's family," he said.

The former Union Minister accused the Congress party of doing "appeasement politics".

"Whenever the majority community raises an issue, cases are slapped. This government is doing appeasement politics on the order of high command. Even foreign governments didn't put restrictions on Hindu festivals. But, under this government, permission has to be taken for procession and bhajan. Stones are pelted on the Ram Navami procession. Now, the people of the state will give a reply to Congress with drums in 2023," Rathore added.

Taking a jibe at Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, he further said, "On one hand she (Priyanka Gandhi) talks about 'Main ladki hoon lad sakti hoon', and on the other hand, she is silent on the rape issue in Balmer".

Reacting to Sachin Pilot's remarks against the corruption in the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in Rajasthan, the former Union Minister called those claims "baseless".

"I thought somebody will raise their voice against the atrocities in Rajasthan. People are talking about fictitious things but not the ones that are happening in front of everyone. Everyone knows about the 'Kissa Kuris Ka' (political drama) that happened in the state. In between this, the people of Rajasthan are getting neglected," he further said.

The matter pertains to April 6, when a Dalit woman was allegedly raped and set on fire in Rajasthan's Barmer district.

The victim succumbed to burn injuries at Jaipur's Mahatma Gandhi Hospital on Saturday, police said.

The incident occurred on Thursday in an area under Pachpadra police station limits, Barmer district.

The main accused has been identified as Shakoor and has been arrested, police said.

Notably, a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the police said.