They will rape sisters/daughters: BJP MP on Shaheen Bagh protestors
With election season reaching its peak in Delhi, controversial statements have become the order of the day. After a clip of condemnable remarks of Union Minister Anurag Thakur surfaced, another BJP leader has followed his footsteps. Member of Parliament, Parvesh Verma, claimed protesters of Shaheen Bagh will "enter houses" of Delhi residents to rape sisters and daughters. He urged them to ponder before voting.
Shaheen Bagh, a locality in South Delhi, has become the center of media attention from across the globe, courtesy women who are raising their voices against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). They began their sit-in protest in December, undeterred by Delhi's bone-chilling weather. Eventually, support flew in with activists, students, and politicians (like Mani Shankar Aiyar and Shashi Tharoor), attending it.
The protest, however, hasn't been sans controversies. A plea was filed in Delhi High Court seeking directions to de-congest the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch that is putting the burden on Delhi-Noida-Delhi flyover. Moreover, a clip of one of the early organizers, Sharjeel Imam, in which he demanded to cut Northeast from India, also garnered criticism. The women of Shaheen Bagh distanced themselves from Imam.
Naturally, the saffron party is using Shaheen Bagh to amplify support for itself. In a bid to seek votes, its leaders are slamming the protest, and passing contentious remarks. Verma became the latest leader to do so. On Monday, the MP from West Delhi said if BJP comes to power, the area will be vacated within an hour.
Today, Verma asked residents of Delhi, where elections will be held on February 8, to take a mindful decision. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are there to "protect" them from lakhs of people, gathering at Shaheen Bagh. "They will enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters, kill them," he told news agency ANI.
#WATCH: BJP MP Parvesh Verma says, "...Lakhs of people gather there (Shaheen Bagh). People of Delhi will have to think take a decision. They'll enter your houses, rape your sistersdaughters, kill them. There's time today, Modi ji Amit Shah won't come to save you tomorrow..." pic.twitter.com/1G801z5ZbM
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2020
With Shaheen Bagh emerging as a major election issue, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is seeking a re-election, also expressed his opinion. He claimed BJP was not clearing the road and increasing woes of the public. Kejriwal said press conferences aren't the answer to law and order problems. "Law and order can improve with efforts. We can teach you how to work," he added.
