Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched sharp attacks at the Congress for giving ticket to Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot's ‘favourite minister’ to contest the upcoming assembly election despite the ‘derogatory’ remarks made by him in relation to incidents of rape in the state, and questioned the kind of vernacular the Congress leader had used to justify the heinous crime. He was referring to Rajasthan minister Shanti Dhariwal's remarks in which he linked ‘masculinity’ with cases of rape in the state.
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The Prime Minister further alleged that Rajasthan became a ‘leading state in crime, riot’ under the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government.
"People of Rajasthan were not able to celebrate Holi, Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti or any other festival peacefully because of stone pelting, curfew and riots," he said while addressing a rally in the poll-bound state's Bharatpur, adding that the current state in Rajasthan led people say '3 December, Congress chhoomantar’.
The Rajasthan minister in 2022 had said in the state assembly, in a response to rising cases of rape, that ‘Rajasthan mardon ka pradesh hain’ (Rajasthan is a state of men). "We are at number one in rape cases. There's no doubt. Why are we ahead in rape cases?... Rajasthan has been the state of men," he said. Following this, a row erupted in the state with BJP criticising Dhariwal for his statement. However, he later apologised for his remarks claiming it was a ‘slip of tongue’.
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PM Modi further slammed Congress for ‘rewarding’ the minister with a party ticket to contest the upcoming assembly election, instead of penalising him. He also alleged that there must be ‘second red diary’ in posession of the minister which ‘must have forced the senior leadership in Delhi’ to offer him the ticket.
{{/usCountry}}PM Modi further slammed Congress for ‘rewarding’ the minister with a party ticket to contest the upcoming assembly election, instead of penalising him. He also alleged that there must be ‘second red diary’ in posession of the minister which ‘must have forced the senior leadership in Delhi’ to offer him the ticket.
{{/usCountry}}“Everyone sitting in Delhi is aware of the controversy surrounding this minister. However, the minister must have some information about them…everyone fears him, therefore gave him the ticket,” he said, adding that the BJP will expose the ‘secret’ (of the Congress) after it comes to power in the state.