Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday stated that though it was good that President Droupadi Murmu expressed her anguish over the rise in crimes against women, such incidents would not have taken place further had she spoken after what happened in Manipur. He also asked if it was enough to keep counting the crimes and then say enough is enough.
Declaring that "enough is enough", Murmu shared her first reaction to the RG Kar doctor rape and murder case, wrote in an an exclusive article for news agency PTI. She wrote: "It is time for India to wake up to the perversion of crimes against women and counter the mindset that sees women as less powerful, less capable, less intelligent.Those who share such views then go further and see the female as an object. We owe it to our daughters to remove the hurdles from their path of winning the freedom from fear."
Referring to the August 9 rape and murder of a junior doctor in a Kolkata hospital, she recalled feeling "dismayed and horrified" and added that what is even more depressing is that it is part of a series of crimes against women.
Reacting to the President's remarks, Thackeray stated: "Probably it is for the first time the president said that she is petrified and that enough is enough. It is good. We got to know that the president also has that (same) emotions. But had she spoken during the Manipur incident after she became the president, further incidents would not have taken place," as reported by news agency PTI.
Although he did not elaborate much, but the former Maharashtra CM was apparently referring to the video from Manipur that trigerred nation-wide outrage. The incident took place in May 2023, following which a video showing two women being stripped and paraded by a mob in violence-hit in the northeastern state had surfaced a few months later.
Speaking at an event of the Ganeshotsav Coordination Committee, Thackeray questioned: "Do we keep counting (the crimes) and then say enough is enough?" The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of using the British policy of divide and rule to separate different sections of society.
On the eve of PM Modi's visit to Maharashtra, Thackeray also stated that it took the PM some time to speak on the unrest in Manipur, and that it has to be seen if he would expresses his views on the Badlapur incident or the Kolkata doctor rape-murder case in West Bengal. PM Modi will visit Maharashtra's Palgarh on Friday, August 30, to inaugurate various development projects and to also address Global Fintch Fest 2024 at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai.
The Sena (UBT) chief also expressed the need for 'Shakti law' under which the accused will be sentenced to stringent punishments for committing crimes against women, including the death penalty. He added that though the existing laws are strong enough to deal with the menace, but what would happen if those who implement them are "goons", PTI reported.