Congress and Samajwadi Party once again launched a frontal attack on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, alleging that his government was out to save former Union minister and rape accused Swami Chinmayanand.
Both parties accused the government of misusing machinery to save members of saffron brigade from all criminal charges while booking opposition party leaders on fake charges.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party, alleging that after the Unnao rape case, now the government and police were again being negligent in the Shahjahanpur rape case.
Referring to a news report, Priyanka said that in Shahjahanpur, the alleged involvement of Swami Chinmayanand in the rape was being shielded by the government. She said even after the victim’s statement was recorded in court where she mentioned Chinmayanand’s name along with others, the rape charge was yet to be added in the case by the police.
The Congress leader alleged that due to the negligence of police and government, the Unnao rape victim had to face difficulties and now the same was happening in Shahjahanpur.
Priyanka asserted that the rape victim was in a state of fear and insecurity while the authorities were still going slow or waiting for reasons known best to them.
She said that no action against the rape accused clearly indicated that the ruling BJP was standing by Chinmayanand and was not inclined to provide justice to the victim.
The Congress also questioned the ‘silence’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior women BJP leaders on no action being taken against Swami Chinmayanand.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, while targeting the Yogi government, screened a video recording of a prominent Hindi news channel about how Swami Chinmayanand was being protected by UP Police in the rape case while the victim and her family were being harassed.
The channel wondered how would Swami Chinmayanand be punished when members of Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the crime were rallying behind the accused due to his proximity to power in the present dispensation in UP and at the Centre.
The opposition targeted the Yogi government a day after the student, who levelled rape charges against Chinmayanand, threatened to set herself on fire if the BJP leader was not arrested immediately. The student also asked whether the government was waiting for her to die even after her statement was recorded before a magistrate.