BJP slams Rahul over photo of Dalit rape victim’s family

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday accused former Congress president Rahul Gandhi of lying to the country after the mother of the nine-year-old Dalit girl, who was allegedly raped and murdered in Delhi on August 1, told a news channel in an interview that the family didn’t give Gandhi consent to share any photographs of their meeting.

The Wayanad MP had on August 4 tweeted a photograph of his meeting the family of the victim, following which there was a complaint against him filed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). His Twitter account was locked for a few days and the controversial tweet withheld even as the BJP accused him and his party of politicising the matter.

Twitter unlocked his account on August 14 after he submitted a consent letter by the parents of the victim, authorising him to use the image. A day earlier, on August 13, the victim’s family was also heard telling news media that they had no objection to Gandhi sharing their photograph on social media as he did that in good faith.

But on Tuesday, the mother of the victim said something different to news channel Times Now. “We have not given consent to share the photos or reveal her (the victim) identity to anyone except the court,” the mother said.

Following this, the BJP launched a fresh attack on Gandhi, calling him “insensitive”, and demanded that his Twitter account be locked again. “Rahul Gandhi has lost credibility and is a habitual liar. The public has locked his political account, now Twitter should also lock his account,” party spokesperson Sambit Patra said.

Union minister for women and child development, Smriti Irani, joined in the tirade on Twitter: “That he lacks sensitivity, disrespects the law and lies on important issues was well known but using a child’s parents to score a political point over a rape crime is indicative of a depraved mindset. The former Congress President is beyond redemption.”