NEW DELHI: Union finance minister
Nirmala Sitharaman
on Saturday accused the Congress government in Karnataka of failing to take action against JD(S) leader
Prajwal Revanna
, who is alleged to have sexually abused women, for nearly a year despite being aware of the matter. Speaking to select journalists, Sitharaman claimed that the Congress feared losing Vokkaliga votes and therefore remained silent until the first phase of the
Lok Sabha elections
2024 concluded.
When asked if the scandal will impact her party’s performance in Karnataka in the ongoing elections, she replied, “The Union home minister (Amit Shah) has made it very clear that we will not tolerate the matters that go against women and on that we stand united. Though the (BJP’s) alliance partner has this issue, we have made it clear that it was not acceptable, and let it be investigated.”
Sitharaman asserted that BJP, along with its alliance partner, stands united in not tolerating matters that go against women, and has called for an investigation into the allegations against Revanna. She questioned the delay in the probe, alleging that the Congress government had evidence in the form of a pen drive provided by a driver but chose to prioritize Vokkaliga votes over women’s safety.
“They thought the Vokkaliga votes might go from their hands and decided to remain silent till the time the first phase of Lok Sabha got over. Now they are making it a big issue and pushing it which is typical of Congress and it shows their hypocrisy,” Sitharaman said asking why probe was delayed for one year.
Regarding the allegations against BJP MP
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh
, who is accused of sexually harassing women wrestlers, Sitharaman pointed out that the charges have not been proven yet. She also defended the party’s decision to give a ticket to Singh’s son, Karan Singh, for the Kaiserganj constituency in Uttar Pradesh, saying that even convicted people’s children have been entertained by various parties.
“Nothing is proven against Brij Bhushan, even if he is convicted, I would say you want to carry the blame to the son. Even convicted people’s children have been entertained by so many parties,” she said.
Sitharaman expressed confidence in the BJP’s performance in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, saying that the party expects to win 370 seats on its own and 400 seats along with its NDA allies. She also refuted claims that the BJP was in a defensive mode, asserting that their response to the Congress’ manifesto was substantive and offensive, describing the manifesto as more of a Muslim League document.
“Our response to the Congress’ manifesto is not defensive, nor is it negative, rather it is more offensive and substantive,” she said.
During an interaction with students at Deccan College, Sitharaman addressed the Rohith Vemula case, where the Telangana police have filed a closure report saying that the University of Hyderabad student was not a Dalit and died by suicide in 2016 due to fears of his “real caste” being discovered. She criticized the politicisation of the incident and said that those who dragged Vemula’s family onto the streets should apologize for their actions.
“It was an unfortunate incident. It was dragged to the streets and a narrative was built that the government was suppressing (facts) and was against students and SCs. Today, the same people who dragged the unfortunate family of Vemula on the street, should stand up before the entire country and apologise for having politicised it,” she said.
