While the country rages about the Kathua and Unnao rape cases, it seems our Prime Minister has found it difficult to address the incidents. He broke his silence during an event honouring Babasaheb Ambedkar.
“As a country, as a society, we all are ashamed of it,” PM Narendra Modi said after inaugurating the Ambedkar memorial in New Delhi. “I want to assure the country that no culprit will be spared, complete justice will be done. Our daughters will definitely get justice.”
The nation collectively wondered, “Is that all he has to say?”
Narendra Modi is currently in London where he hosted a town hall event ‘Bharat Ki Baat Sab ke Saath’. During his visit, he met United Kingdom Prime Minister, Theresa May, where things got awkward.
Even miles away from home, angry protestors in London ensured Modi faced the hard truth. Holding placards that read ‘Cows = Safe, Bucks = Safe, Daughters = Unsafe’ and ‘Beti Bachao, Save Our Daughters’, women of Indian origin in the UK, held a silent protest at Parliament Square.
The group said in a statement “This is not a Pro Modi or Anti Modi rally. We are submitting a petition to the Government Of India demanding justice – early justice of perpetrators and of those who attempted to cover it up. The need of the hour is for an urgent and constructive reassessment of the effort to protect the safety of women and children in India.”
At the town hall, the audience ensured that they questioned Modi. After making a short statement in India, this was the first time Modi discussed the Kathua and Unnao cases at length at the public address.
“How painful it is when a little girl is raped. How can you say that these many women were raped during our government and this many during yours? Rape is rape. How can we bear this? At the Red Fort I had said that when a girl comes home late, her parents question her, ask her about who she went out with, who is she talking to. Why don’t they do that with their sons?”
While his statement has all the right words, we’re hoping for a constructive plan of action from the government.