Surjewala condemns Haryana CM over rape remark

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday lambasted Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar over his recent remark that rapes happen between known people and sought an apology from him.

The Congress leader in a video on his official Twitter handle said that "misogyny has become the buzzword of Bharatiya Janata Party and Khattar's recent statement showcased their Talibani thought process."

The Congress party leader said, "The Talibani thought process of BJP leadership, particularly Manohar Lal Khattar got exposed on November 15 in Kalka when he said that 80 per cent of rapes is consensual and that if boys and girls meet with each other, interact with each other, it leads to rape. It is the same Manohar Lal Khattar who in past had said, that if women want to have freedom, they should walk around naked."

Haryana Chief Minister Khattar courted a controversy after he made a statement on November 15 in Kalka that 80-90 per cent of rape incidents happen between people who already know each other, and that people file a rape complaint following some arguments. Khattar on Sunday clarified his stance claiming that what he said is a fact proven by the investigation.

Surjewala also attacked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and said that the successive BJP leaders have made misogynistic remarks insulting women as independent beings.

"Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said in the past and has written a book saying that women cannot be permitted to go alone. They need protection," said Surjewala.

Counting out several rape incidents that took place during the tenure of Khattar, including the Rewari rape case, Surjewala sought an apology from the Chief Minister and asked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his 'stoic' silence over the issue.