Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday slammed Union Minister Smriti Irani, who is scheduled to take part in a Bharatiya Janata Party protest against crimes on women, and asked her to speak on incidents that took place when her party was in power in the state.
Irani will take part in the 'Mahtari Hunkar' rally organised by the BJP's women's wing in Bilaspur, some 125 kilometres from here. Talking to reporters, Baghel said Irani should take a look at the graph of crimes against women in Uttar Pradesh, where is the BJP is in power under Yogi Adityanath since 2017.
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"Smriti Irani ji should say why train services are suspended (in Chhattisgarh). Do women not travel by trains? Women mostly prefer this mode of transport. It is convenient and cheap. They (BJP-led Centre) have kept it suspended," he said.
Several train services have been suspended since early this year in the state, which has been opposed by the Congress government under Baghel claiming it inconveniences people.
"She should speak on tragic incidents like Jhaliyamari scandal (incident of sexual assault on 15 minor inmates of a residential school for tribal girls in Kanker district in 2013), death of women after sterilisation, botched cataract surgeries, uterus removal cases (all of which happened during the previous Raman Singh-led government)," he said.
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"If you want to compare the incidents of crime against women then compare it with Uttar Pradesh. See how much is happening there. In all such incidents in Chhattisgarh, FIRs have been lodged and strict action has been taken," he added.
(With PTI inputs)
