Hyderabad: Mahua Moitra, a Bengal MP on Saturday referred to the BJP’s ‘Gujarat model’ as ‘hate and kill, then fete and reward,’ alluding to the ruling party’s decision to once again give the election ticket to its Godhra MLA who had referred to the convicted rapists and murderers in the Bilkis Bano case as “sanskari (cultured) Brahmins).
The state administration, with the Center’s blessing, freed the 11 men who had been given life sentences on August 15 after serving 15 years ‘on account of good behaviour.’
“Godhra MLA who called Bilkis case rapists & killers “Sanskari Brahmins” is re-nominated by BJP. This is the Gujarat Model. Hate & Kill. Then Fete & Reward,” she tweeted.
The state government, with the Centre’s blessing, released the 11 men who had been given life sentences on August 15 after serving 15 years ‘on account of good behavior.’
Moitra, a Lok Sabha member from the Trinamool Congress, is among those who have petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling.
Chandrasinh Raulji, a BJP MLA, served on the panel that decided whether to release the prisoners who had served 15 years in prison. He is a six-time MLA from Godhra, the town where the 2002 riots took place and Bilkis Bano was kidnapped by 11 men, who also slaughtered nine members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter.
In an interview with the online news portal Mojo Story, he had defended the release of those men: “Since Brahmins are regarded for having strong sanskar, they were (cultural values). Someone may have wanted to corner them and punish them with bad intentions.”
The Centre expedited the release despite several objections, including those from the magistrate who found the defendants guilty, according to the Gujarat government’s testimony in court. During the hundreds of days that they were serving their sentences, the criminals had also been receiving regular parole.
Following his switch from the Congress in August 2017, right before the polls, Chandrasinh Raulji triumphed on the BJP ticket the previous time. He has triumphed in his bids for Congress in 2007 and 2012. He beat the Congress after converting to the BJP, but only by a slim margin of 258 votes.
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