In response to comments made by Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday, BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi questioned whether advocating for women’s rights is considered dirty politics.
Commenting on the SP chief’s remarks about the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, Sarangi said , “Is standing up for women’s rights dirty politics? Considering the brutality of what happened there and the ongoing incidents in Bengal, if BJP workers are standing with the women and condemning this incident, is that considered politics?”
She further highlighted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) practices positive politics, asserting that they “advocate for the rights of the poor, the exploited, the deprived, the oppressed women, and the youth.”
Earlier on Saturday, SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the BJP for allegedly using the rape and murder incident at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital for political advantage. He opposed BJP’s calls for Mamata Banerjee’s resignation, arguing that as a woman, Banerjee comprehends the suffering of other women and has acted appropriately. Yadav also pointed out that the West Bengal government had chosen to have the case investigated by the CBI or another institution.
“Mamata Banerjee herself is a woman and understands the pain of a woman. She has taken action as needed. The government has also decided to have the matter investigated by the CBI or another institution. But alongside this, the people of the Bharatiya Janata Party should not politicise the incident, the BJP should not derive political advantage from it,” Yadav said.
On August 9, a postgraduate trainee doctor was reportedly raped and murdered while on duty at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, triggering nationwide strikes and protests by the medical community. On August 14, a mob vandalised the protest site and the hospital campus at RG Kar, leading security personnel to break up the crowd.