Reports of “mass molestation” in Bengaluru on the night of December 31, 2016, has taken an unpleasant political turn.
Just a day after Karnataka Home Minister, Dr G Parameshwara, blamed the “western mindset and dressing style of youngsters” for crimes against women, the Congress went into damage control mode and has injected a communal turn to the incident.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP, BK Hariprasad has now blamed the “Hindutva Brigade”’ for the incident.
“Those resorting to moral policing have infiltrated into Karnataka. There have been attacks on pubs, moral policing has been witnessed during Valentine’s Day. These incidents have happened only after these fringe elements, who propagate Hindutva culture, have infiltrated into Bengaluru and the administration,” Hariprasadd said.
The MP also lashed out at Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijiju for his statement against Parameshwara.
“Mr Kiren Rijiju and BJP spokesperson made strong statements about the incidents in Bengaluru. This was the day when a woman was molested in Churu and nobody spoke about it. Mr Rijiju, being the Home Minister, should know what is happening under his own nose in Delhi. There should not be be a fashion of BJP and fringe elements of the Sangh to malign Bengaluru,” he stated.
If this is outrageous, Samajwadi Party MLA, Abu Azmi has taken it a mile forward and said that women should make themselves “less available” for men so that they do not get molested.
“If such cases of molestation are increasing, one way to stop this is that there is no availability of ladies for them (men),” Azmi said.
But that’s Abu Azmi for you. He is well known for making sexist and shallow statements.
If this was not enough, a restive AAP has now started an anti-Congress campaign on Twitter and #MahilaVirodhiCongress is trending on the social platform.
A series of tweets with the hash-tag has appeared. Here are some of them:
What has Dressing like Westerners to do with molestation? @CMofKarnataka #MahilaVirodhiCongress pic.twitter.com/kzJs1yLJNY
— AAP Karnataka (@AAPKarnataka) January 3, 2017
The Govt is sleeping! It must wake up!
— AAP Karnataka (@AAPKarnataka) January 3, 2017
And answer the people immediately!https://t.co/h2BmooGGTs#MahilaVirodhiCongress
Where is Siddaramiah?https://t.co/4AK3euuFDX#MahilaVirodhiCongress pic.twitter.com/xUMgJXEsIY
— AAP Karnataka (@AAPKarnataka) January 3, 2017