'Crocodile tears', 'dirty politics': PM Modi, Mayawati in war of words over Alwar gangrape

A full-scale war of words broke out Sunday between Narendra Modi and Mayawati over the Alwar gang rape incident with the prime minister accusing the BSP supremo of "shedding crocodile tears", a charge trashed by her as his "dirty politics".

A full-scale war of words broke out Sunday between Narendra Modi and Mayawati over the Alwar gang rape incident with the prime minister accusing the BSP supremo of "shedding crocodile tears", a charge trashed by her as his "dirty politics".

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati why she did not withdraw support to the ruling Congress in Rajasthan in wake of a gangrape in Alwar. "A Dalit girl was gang-raped in Rajasthan which is being ruled by the 'naamdar' (Congress) with the support of BSP. Both the parties are trying to suppress the matter. The daughters of this state are asking 'behenji' why hasn't she taken back her support to the Congress after the incident," Modi said while addressing an election rally in Uttar Pradeh's Kushinagar. He said: "Had the intentions of the Congress been right, they would have never tried to hide the case. But they have only one answer: 'It happened, so what?" On April 26, the victim along with her husband were stopped, abducted and dragged to an isolated place where the woman was raped. The alleged rapists also filmed the act and uploaded that on YouTube. The couple approached the police, which allegedly did not act citing lack of manpower and time due to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Hours after Modi's remark, Mayawati charged the prime minister with doing "dirty politics" over the gang rape of a Dalit girl in Alwar and demanded his resignation for incidents of Dalit atrocities in the past. "In the wake of this (Alwar) incident, Modi is doing dirty politics. The BSP will for sure take an appropriate political decision in the absence of stringent and proper legal action in the case," Mayawati said in a press note responding to the prime minister's challenge to her to withdraw support to the Congress government in Rajasthan. The Congress government in Rajasthan has been accused by both the prime minister and the BSP supremo of brushing the case aside for political gains. After Modi's barb, Mayawati retorted with a list of incidents on which she said the prime minister should take moral responsibility and resign from his post. "The BSP will take a required political decision soon, but why is PM Modi not taking moral responsibility for the incidents in the past, such as Una flogging incident, Rohit Vemulla case or other cases pertaining to Dalit atrocities? Why is he not resigning?" the BSP press note issued in Lucknow said. (With inputs from agencies)