Priyanka meets victims of nomination day violence, demands countermanding of polls
LUCKNOW: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday demanded that the state election commission should countermand the recent block pramukh (kshetra panchayat chief) elections in the Pasgawan block of Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh in view of allegations of violence against women there.
Priyanka also demanded that all those behind the alleged nomination day violence on July 8 be brought to book. The election was held on July 10.
The Congress leader, who is on a three-day visit to the state, went to Semra Ghat village of Pasgawan block area in Lakhimpur Kheri, about 130 km from here. She met the Samajwadi Party worker (who was party’s block pramukh candidate) and her proposer who were victims of the alleged violence in the elections. The Congress leader said there was no point in providing reservation to women in the panchayats when they were not being allowed to file their nomination.
Both these women had allegedly been misbehaved with on the nomination day. The Samajwadi Party worker had alleged that she was not allowed to file her nomination.
The authorities had lodged an FIR in the incident and arrested three people. Six police officials, including Mohammadi deputy police superintendent, had been suspended after the government took strong note of the incident.
“Filing of nomination (for panchayat election) is her right. This right was taken away from her…She was targeted and attempt were made to pull away her saree and tear her clothes. One can imagine what she went through. She had a small child with her. A 19-year-old boy was also with her. She had her family with her…The circle officer, who tried to save her, has been placed under suspension and the administration is maintaining silence,” said Priyanka, while speaking to media persons after meeting the victims there.
“I have come here as a fellow woman to extend my support to her, to assure her that every woman of the state and that of the country is with her in her fight for justice,” she said.
She further said, “The violence took place in all the districts (during block pramukh polls). Bomb explosions were there at some places, violence was witnessed at some other and atrocities were committed against the women… I have come here to meet her because she is a woman. She is my sister as well… I demand that the election should be countermanded. Whosoever is occupying such a high position can see this is not the way any election is held and so it should be countermanded.”
“Not alone in Pasgawan, fresh elections should be held in all other blocks of the state where such violence took place,” she told reporters.
“The purpose of reservation to women in a democracy was their empowerment. However, situations have come to such a level that women are being misbehaved with,” Priyanka said.
The Congress leader targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi again for his congratulatory message after the panchayat elections and said, “Re-election is ordered whenever such things happen. Why should re-election not be held? Can anybody be allowed to win election by indulging in violence? We have a video. Everything is clear whatever happened there. The police is seen not helping her. Only one or two persons came for her help. Do you want all democratic norms should be thrown to the winds? Prime Minister Narendra Modi is praising and congratulating the government.”
“I will write a letter to state election commission to demand justice for all the sisters and citizens who became victim of BJPsponsored violence,” she said in a tweet earlier on Saturday.