Mumbai, Oct 4 (IANS): The Maharashtra Congress on Sunday demanded to know why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was silent on the Hathras gang rape-murder case that has shocked the whole country, while announcing 'satyagrahas' across the state on Monday.
"Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's government failed to show any empathy for the victim, but why is Modi -- who used to chant 'Save the Daughter' -- keeping mum on the entire episode?" questioned state Congress President and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat.
Claiming that women and girls were "unsafe" in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled UP, he said the Congress has started a campaign there for justice and will continue its struggle till the victim's family gets full justice.
In order to drum up support for the Hathras victim and other such incidents in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress will hold 'satyagrahas' all over Maharashtra on Monday and condemn the Yogi regime for its failure to maintain the rule of law.
"We want that the case be investigated under the Supreme Court supervision and the UP government should suspend the Hathras district Collector," he added.
Thorat said that Yogi and his government must answer questions disturbing the nation's conscience and which the kin of the victim and the country have the right to know. "Why did the police burn the victim's body by dousing it with petrol? What is the evidence that the burnt body belonged to the victim? Why did the UP government continuously mislead the people? Why was the victim's family threatened?"
"The utter arrogance of the authoritarian UP CM came to the fore on October 1 when he prevented Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from visiting Hathras to meet the family and police manhandled Rahul Gandhi. It was only after the nationwide furore and protests by angry Congress activists that they were permitted to go on Saturday," he pointed out.
But even on Saturday, the police caned Congress workers and when Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attempted to shield them, male policemen attempted to shove her, he alleged.
"This exhibits the low-level mentality of Yogi towards women. This is also sheer arrogance of power but agitated people will raze their arrogant attitude to dust," Thorat warned.