Rahul Blames 'BJP's System' For Odisha Student's Death, Party Slams Cong For 'Baking Political Bread In Tragedy'
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party after the Odisha college student, who had attempting self-immolation over inaction after alleged sexual harassement by a professor, died last night after battling for her life for three days. Gandhi blamed BJP's "organised system" for the student's "murder," as he criticsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for remaining "silent" over the incident.
Following Gandhi's remarks, BJP leader and Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan hit back at him, accusing the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha of using the incident to indulge in "cheap politics" and "baking political bread in tragedy".
The second-year integrated B.Ed student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, Balasore took the extreme step on Saturday over alleged inaction against the professor. She had suffered 95 per cent burns.
"The death of a daughter fighting for justice in Odisha is nothing less than a murder by the BJP's system. That brave student raised her voice against sexual harassment - but instead of delivering justice, she was threatened, tormented, and repeatedly humiliated. Those who were supposed to protect her kept breaking her. As always, the BJP's system continued to shield the accused - and forced an innocent daughter to set herself on fire. This is not suicide; it is an organized murder by the system," Gandhi wrote on X in a post in Hindi.
Asking PM Modi to break silence on incidents of violence against women, the former Congress president added: "Modi ji, be it Odisha or Manipur - the daughters of the country are burning, breaking down, dying. And you? Are sitting silent. The country does not want your silence, it wants answers."
In response to Gandhi's remarks, Union Minister Pradhan, a native of Odisha himself, said that the Congress leader's comment reflected his "petty mindset". He also said that the "cheap politics" being played by Gandhi over the student's death is "extremely unfortunate".
"The cheap politics played by Rahul Gandhi and Congress on the tragic incident involving Odisha’s daughter is extremely unfortunate. Turning a serious and sensitive matter into a political weapon reflects Rahul Gandhi’s petty mindset. The incident in Odisha has shaken the entire nation, but Congress has seized this opportunity to bake its political bread," Pradhan wrote in a post on X.
"Prime Minister Modi ji and the BJP have always taken concrete steps for women’s safety and justice, while Congress has consistently sought opportunities in every tragedy," he added.
The Union Minister further stressed that Odisha government stands with the victim's family and assured of strict action against the culprits. "However, this is not the time for cheap politics but for ensuring justice for the victim’s family. Rahul Gandhi should immediately apologize to the victim’s family for his irresponsible statement," Pradhan said.
Congress Continues To Target BJP Over Odisha Student's Death
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also slammed the BJP government in the state, saying that the student took the drastic step after giving up hope of justice.
"Just 20 years old... the mere thought of what that girl must have gone through sends shivers down the spine. How helpless she must have felt on her own campus. The rotten system of the BJP broke her to such an extent that she took the painful step of setting herself on fire," Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X.
Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal also targeted the BJP over the student's death.
"The law and order situation in Odisha is collapsing every day. Even educational institutions are turning into dangerous places for women -- with cries of help and justice falling of deaf ears. It became so unbearable that a young student was forced to immolate herself, and she succumbed to the injuries today," he said.
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