The back-and-forth between political parties over crimes against women hit a new low on Wednesday when Jharkhand Mukti Morcha working president Hemant Soren attempted to counter criticism from the UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath who was in the state to campaign for the ongoing state elections.
“Many women have been set ablaze recently. I have heard Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi (Adityanath) was roaming around here wearing saffron… They are those BJP workers who do not marry but rape women while wearing saffron,” Soren, 44, also a former chief minister said at an election rally in Pakur ahead of the fifth and last phase of polling on December 20.
Hemant Soren also referred to recent reports of sexual assault cases in the country including Uttar Pradesh and accused Bharatiya Janata Party governments of failing to protect women and instead, protecting criminals.
He also made a veiled reference to the sexual assault case in UP’s Shahjahanpur where a BJP leader was the accused. The former minister Chinmayanand was later arrested after allegations by the opposition that the police was trying to shield him. The woman in this case, who was alleged to have been part of a conspiracy to extort money, was also arrested. Earlier this month, the Allahabad high court granted her bail.
Soren also raised the issue of National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) which have caused widespread outrage in several parts of the country.
“They will ask you to vote in the name of NRC, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) but never in the name of Sardar Patel’s statue. They have nothing to do with Lord Ram or Sardar Patel’s values. They want people to fight with each other and vote in the name of caste and religion,” he said, according to ANI.
The results of the elections will be declared on December 23.
