Shiv Sena Member of the Parliament (MP) Sanjay Raut came out in support of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and claimed that the way Uttar Pradesh Police behaved against a leader of the opposition party was a gangrape of democracy. He further alleged that its move to cremate the body of the rape victim in Hathras at night without giving an opportunity for the relatives to see was an attempt to hide their sins.
“Rahul Gandhi is a national political leader. We may have differences with the Congress, but nobody can support UP Police’s behaviour towards him. His collar was caught and he was pushed to the ground. The manhandling of Rahul Gandhi in a way is a gangrape of the country's democracy,” alleged Raut. The Shiv Sena MP strongly condemned the police action. Raut further stated that Rahul Gandhi is Indira Gandhi's grandson. He is Rajiv Gandhi's son also. Both have sacrificed their lives for this country. “You may disagree with Rahul Gandhi's politics, but what happened in UP, where a Dalit girl was raped and murdered and a political leader was manhandled, is unacceptable. The way he was stopped, you saw it on TV, it is unacceptable,” he noted.
The Shiv Sena MP warned that the country will never forgive this behaviour against Rahul Gandhi and others who raised voice against the democracy of the country.
Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar also condemned the UP Police action, saying that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi should have been allowed to visit the rape victim’s family. “Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi went there peacefully. What happened to him was not right,” he added.
