Rahul questions PM's silence over UP MLA accused of rape

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence over the rape allegations levelled against Uttar Pradesh Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Kuldeep Singh Sengar.

Sengar is accused of raping a 19-year-old girl.

The Congress president further said that the Prime Minister gave the slogan of 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao', but when it came to delivering justice he did not utter a word, nor was the MLA ousted from the party.

"An Uttar Pradesh MLA raped a woman, but the Prime Minister remained silent. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister did not say a word. Prime Minister gave a good slogan in support of women, but when the time came to walk the talk, he did nothing," the Congress chief said.

He also took the occasion to underline that Congress party supports the upliftment of women and intends to increase its contribution in this direction.

Reiterating his earlier claim, Rahul said that the central government forcibly sent Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Alok Verma on leave as he was collecting documents related to Rs 58,000 crore Rafale deal.

"The CBI was about to start an investigation in the Rafale aircraft deal, but the Prime Minister got scared and so he removed the director of the investigative agency," he alleged.

Gandhi was addressing a Mahila Congress event in poll-bound Rajasthan's Kota.

The state will go to polls on December 7 and the results will be announced on December 11. The tenure of the state assembly ends on January 20, 2019.