16 June,2018 05:10 PM IST | Mumbai | PTI
Sudhir Mungantiwar
Maharashtra minister Sudhir Mungantiwar today criticised Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for blaming the BJP and the RSS over the assault and naked parading of two boys in Jalgaon district in the state.
He said the comments made by Gandhi do not befit a person, who aspires to become a prime minister of the country. Two boys from a backward community were allegedly beaten up and paraded naked in Wakadi village in Jalgaon's Jamner taluka for swimming in a well that belonged to a person of a different caste. A video if the incident went viral on social media on June 10.
Condemning the incident, Gandhi had yesterday tweeted that the only crime the minors had committed was that they were taking a bath in a "golden well".
Holding the BJP and the RSS's "manuvadi" thought process responsible for the incident, Gandhi said humanity was trying to save itself using the last available straw. Reacting to Gandhi's tweet in which he shared the video of the incident, Mungantiwar said it is a norm that the names or photos of victims of rape or abuse should not be made public.
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"On the one hand Rahul ji aspires to be the prime minister of the country, on the other hand, he chooses to ignore the country's norms. By doing so, he is actually causing more harm to the victims," he told reporters here.
The Minister for Finance and Planning added that before he aspires to become the PM, Gandhi has to first learn the etiquettes that suit the position and not be in a hurry.
On NCP leader Nawab Malik's charge that one of the victims was pressurised by the government to withdraw the case against the perpetrators, Mungantiwar said minister Girish Mahajan, under whose constituency the incident occurred, had visited the place to ensure strict action is taken against the culprits.
"A minister can, under no circumstance pressurise the family to take back a case. Secondly, this is a serious offence and not a civil case where the court will accept the family's plea of withdrawing the case. The NCP is making baseless allegations to gain brownie points," he alleged.
The police have arrested two men, identified as Ishwar Joshi - the well owner and his farm worker Prahlad Lohar, in connection with the incident.
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