'Punjab govt not blocking justice': Rahul Gandhi defends silence over Hoshiarpur rape case

Ridiculing BJP's attack on the Gandhis' silence over the Hoshiarpur rape case, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi asserted that the state government of Punjab is not denying the incident unlike in Uttar Pradesh. Gandhi's remarks were in reference to the Hathras rape case where the victim's family was allegedly threatened. 

Taking to Twitter, the Wayanad MP confidently stated that if the state government's of Rajasthan and Punjab blocked the course of justice, he would go there to fight for it. 

BJP leaders hit out at Gandhis

Questioning former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for his silence over the horrific Hoshiarpur rape case, senior BJP leaders hit out at the Congress' 'selective outrage'. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also slammed the former Congress chief's sister Priyanka Gandhi for remaining mum over the sexual assault of a six-year-old in Punjab. Sitharaman questioned if the incident had not shaken the conscience of the brother and sister duo 'who rush to every place that can help them politically'. 

READ | BJP Hits Out At 'tweet-friendly' Rahul Gandhi For Silence Over Hoshiarpur Rape Case

The Finance Minister also criticized the former Congress chief for not even putting out a tweet in support of the victim, taking a dig at his frequent tweets over other issues. "Not a word from the tweet-friendly leader Rahul Gandhi. No tweets on this, no outrage on this and no picnic on this," Sitharaman stated. 

Union I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar, too, hammered the senior Congress leaders for their silence over the rape case so far. Demanding strict action against the culprits, Javadekar remarked that instead of going on 'political tours,' Gandhi should visit Punjab and Rajasthan to take cognizance of incidents of crime against women. 

READ | Matter Of Shame For Country, Govts: Kejriwal On Hathras Incident

In a horrifying incident, a six-year-old girl was allegedly raped, killed, and then set on fire, with her half-burnt body found at a home in Tanda's Jalalpur village, police said on Thursday.

The accused -- Gurpreet Singh and his grandfather Surjit Singh -- have been arrested on the charges of murder, rape and under other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, officials informed. 

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READ | After Being Raped, Minor Girl In Punjab's Hoshiarpur Killed And Set On Fire