Mallikarjun Kharge accuses PM Modi of paying only lip service to issue of women’s safety

New Delhi, August 29

Casting doubts on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s concern for women’s safety, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday accused the Modi government of not taking any concrete step in the last 10 years to prevent crimes against women.

In a post on X, Kharge, who is also Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said BJP had also often resorted to character assassination of women victims of sexual crimes. This is “shameful”, he added.

Making a dig at the BJP government’s “Beti Bachao” slogan, Kharge said rather than saying ‘save the daughter’, one must work to ‘ensure equal rights for the daughter’.

“Women do not need protection, they need an environment free from fear”, he said.

Every hour, 43 crimes against women are recorded in the country. Every day, there are 22 crimes that are registered against women and children of the most vulnerable Dalit and tribal communities in our country. There are countless crimes that are not recorded due to fear, intimidation and other social factors, the statement by the Congress president read.

“Prime Minister Modi ji has talked about women’s safety several times in his speeches at the Red Fort, but his government has not done anything concrete in the last 10 years to prevent crimes against women. On the contrary, his party has also repeatedly assassinated the character of the victim, which is shameful”, Kharge said.

The Congress leader’s statement came day after President Droupadi Murmu expressed concern about the rising incidents of crime against women in the country.

Kharge said painting “Save Daughter” on every wall would not bring about any social change nor would it make the implementation of the related laws any better.

“Are we able to take preventive steps? Has our criminal justice system improved? Are the exploited and deprived sections of the society now able to live in a safe environment?” Kharge asked.

“Has the government and administration not tried to hide the incident? Have the police forcibly stopped performing the last rites of the victims, so that the truth does not come out?” he added.

Kharge expressed concern about the implementation of recommendations made by Justice Verma Committee following the 2012 Nirbhaya incident in Delhi. He questioned whether those recommendations are being followed currently. Additionally, he enquired about the enforcement of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, passed in 2013. He emphasised the need for collective action to address crimes against women, citing the importance of gender equality as enshrined in the Constitution. Kharge advocated for comprehensive measures, including gender sensitisation, gender budgeting, women’s helplines, infrastructure development, police reforms, and judicial reforms, to ensure women’s rights and create a fear-free environment.