Haryana has become gang-rape capital of India, PM Narendra Modi must speak on Padmaavat violence: Congress

The Congress on Thursday urged PM Modi to break his silence on the violence unleashed by the fringe groups in the name of protests against controversy-mired film "Padmaavat".

New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence and speak about the violence unleashed by the members of the fringe groups in the name of protests against controversy-mired Hindi movie "Padmaavat".

Referring to the attack on a school bus ferrying nursery students in Gurugram in Haryana on Wednesday, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said the incident was "more saddening and shameful" that showed how the Modi and the Haryana governments had "failed to maintain law and order".

Chaturvedi also critcised the silence on the violence by Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani, who otherwise "keeps tweeting 24 hours about what all she is doing, the Modi government is doing, and where all she is going".

"The Smriti Irani-headed I&B Ministry, which controls the (Censor Board) gives a certificate to a movie. The film is allowed to be released and then violence is unleashed in BJP-ruled states,'' she said.

"It shows that the BJP governments, both in Centre and the states, have failed. It is condemnable that neither the Prime Minister is speaking about it nor is anyone from his government... All the state governments are silent. Why this silence? Who is responsible for the law and order? 

"The government neglected the Supreme Court order (clearing the screening of the movie) and did nothing to stop this violence," the Congress spokesperson said. 

The Congress spokesperson said Haryana had become the "gang-rape capital" of India in the last two years. The law and order situation in the state was steadily deteriorating with a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

"This is sad and shameful for the nation. This shows how the (Haryana) government has failed. The government is not serious and is not ready to take responsibility."

Earlier this morning, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi hit out at the BJP in the wake of the attack on the school bus in Gurugram allegedly by Karni Sena supporters over the release of 'Padmaavat' and accused the saffron party's "hatred politics" for "setting the nation on fire".

"There will never be a cause big enough to justify violence against children. Violence and hatred are the weapons of the weak,'' he said. 

"The BJP's use of hatred and violence is setting our entire country on fire," Rahul Gandhi said in his tweet hours after a video of scared children crouching in the school bus targeted by hooligans protesting the Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie surfaced triggering a nationwide outrage.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also condemned the attack on the school bus in Gurugram by suspected Karni Sena supporters and called for strict action against them. 

The Delhi Chief Minister called the incident a "matter of shame for the entire nation". 

Stating that fringes have no religion or caste, Kejriwal said, "these elements are now after our children because of our silence".

(With Agency inputs)