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Congress's dig on Manipur silence recalling protests over Nirbhaya a ‘self-goal’?
Congress shares two pics - one on massive protest in Delhi during the Nirbhaya case and the other showing the same street wearing a deserted look over Manipur.
'Nirbhaya', a 23-year-old medical student, wanted to dispel the myth that women can't have dreams in a historically male-dominated culture. Her dream, to provide free medical treatment to the poor, came crashing down on December 16, 2012, when she and a companion boarded a private bus. She was brutally assaulted and gang-raped by six men for hours.
The daughter of a baggage handler at the Delhi airport, Nirbhaya lost the battle after fighting for days at several hospitals. She passed away on December 29 in Singapore, where she was airlifted for better care.
The heinous sexual assault she endured that cold, dark night sparked a wave of anger across India, with thousands of young men and women braving the winter cold and police resistance to protest at India Gate and near the Parliament, demanding justice.
The then Congress government faced criticism for its seemingly unresponsive approach to the crisis, leading to further frustration among the protesters.
"While people of all ages took to the streets and held candlelight vigils, their anger and anguish palpable in their eyes, our government appeared non-responsive...," the then Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit wrote in her autobiography - Citizen Delhi: My Times, My Life.
"Had the Union Home Ministry responded with urgency and addressed the Delhi police, the people would have realised whose call it was to initiate action and would have seen the concern expressed by the government. The Centre’s unresponsive stance immediately after the incident seemed deliberate as it shifted the focus entirely on the Delhi government," she added.
Almost a decade later, the nation was horrified yet again. This time, by a video showing two women being publicly paraded naked and sexually abused, before one of them was allegedly gang-raped on May 4 in Manipur, a day after the ethnic violence broke in the northeastern state. The delayed action against the culprits raised questions about the BJP-led Manipur government and local police's handling of the situation.
In response to the Manipur crisis, the Congress tabled a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha against the government, seeking accountability from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They stressed the Northeast's significance to national security and urged for immediate action to quell the ongoing unrest.
It also recently took to social media to share two pictures - one on the massive protest on the Kartavyapath (then Rajpath) during the Nirbhaya case and the other (just below it) showing the same street wearing a deserted look, with the caption "streets of Delhi after Manipur video".
While the Congress tried to take a potshot on the silence over Manipur and contrast it with the protests on Nirbhaya, it seems to have created problems for the party, too.
Twitteratti asked if the party scored a self-goal while trying to depict that there were no protests in the national capital because people know that the BJP will handle the issue better.
One user asked, "Heard about a self-goal! With public trust in the elected Govt., no protests in sight. The opposition's failure is evident here, even outsourcing their job to @AamAadmiParty led to a flop, as @SanjayAzadSln got suspended!"
Another user said, "Congress admitting that people are sitting at home, trusting the BJP to solve the problem in Manipur. The honesty is good."
Similarly, another asked, “Are you suggesting that people have confidence in the Modi government's ability to take decisive action, which is why they are not resorting to street protests?”
Why is the Opposition angry?
It took 77 days and outrage across the country for PM Modi to break his silence on the Manipur issue. Opposition's INDIA alliance has been demanding Modi address the situation in Manipur in both Houses of Parliament. Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari emphasised that the northeast is an integral part of India, and any disturbance there affects national security.
Tewari expressed concern over the ongoing unrest in Manipur, which has created a sense of revulsion across the country.
