New Delhi, Oct 13 — Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "misusing women" and "putting them forward" when nothing else works for the party.
This comes after the BJP accused the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, of "manhandling" a female journalist during the INDIA bloc's march to the Supreme Court on Monday.
Speaking to IANS, Chowdhury said: ''Where do these allegations come from? Whoever the BJP’s scriptwriters are, they should look for another job. Everyone is familiar with the BJP’s worn-out tactics. Who exactly is this journalist? Is she really a journalist? Is she even pregnant? Whenever the BJP intervenes in an issue, even the truth begins to be questioned. So, all this is just drama. Rahul Gandhi has always stood up for women’s rights. Now, a woman is being brought forward in this case as well. This is how the BJP operates: misuse women, and when nothing else works, put a woman forward.''
On the INDIA bloc’s march to the Supreme Court, she said: ''Rahul Gandhi has taken these steps after careful consideration and with a full sense of responsibility. We raised our voice in Parliament. Before that, Rahul Gandhi had also written a letter. We raised questions through the media as well. Both inside and outside Parliament, we tried to bring the truth to light so that the public could be informed. More importantly, we wanted our fellow citizens to have the assurance that they need not worry, because we are here to fight for them.''
"We went to court as people still have a lot of faith in the judiciary...we tried to raise questions on every democratic platform, and when we didn't receive an answer, we went to the court."
She added that now it is the court's responsibility to restore people's faith in the Election Commission.
Asked if she sees Rahul Gandhi as a Prime Minister in the future, Chowdhury replied: "Why not?"
However, not wanting to digress from the issue, she said: "Whether Rahul Gandhi will become Prime Minister or not is a decision that the people of the country will make. Party workers, MLAs, and MPs will also play their roles in this process. As a party worker, I want Rahul Gandhi to become Prime Minister. But that is not the whole point. The way Rahul Gandhi is struggling today and raising people’s issues is not driven by self-interest or the belief that doing so will make him the Prime Minister. Such thinking is narrow-minded. It is wrong to make such allegations against Rahul Gandhi."
"He is not doing this in the hope of becoming the Prime Minister; rather he is fighting for the people...Rahul Gandhi is fighting so that the trust of the people (in democracy), of the youth, remains intact," she added.
Chowdhury further said that if CEC Gyanesh Kumar has even one per cent sense of responsibility, he should resign on his own. "If people have doubts, then he should stand up and say that 'I am innocent, but if proven guilty I will resign', because that position is greater than any individual."
"There must be some kind of blackmailing going on because so much money must have been used to deploy this level of security forces (in New Delhi). Why is it so? Why is the government compelled to save Gyanesh Kumar? What kind of secrets might get revealed if he resigns?"
"For us, 'Desh' (the country) is more important than Gyanesh Kumar...so we will keep fighting for it," the Congress leader asserted.
Regarding posters put up in West Bengal reading, 'Buy biryani only from Hindu shopkeepers', she said that anyone putting up such posters must have a "narrow mindset" and a "parochial outlook".
"Do you know the religion of the person who grows the grain you eat? When you are admitted to a hospital and need blood, will you check the religion and caste of the person donating blood before accepting it to save your life? The air that we breathe contains the breath of all religions. The Constitution has given every individual, irrespective of his or her religion, the right to stand under the tricolour," Chowdhury asserted.
Responding to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's criticism of the INDIA bloc’s march, the Congress leader retorted: ''Chief Minister Yogi ji, you are a yogi. Focus on your own thoughts and reflections and take care of your state. There is no need for you to come out and comment on this matter. Both the general public and you know why we have taken to the streets."