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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the opposition over a gangrape in Rajasthan's Alwar district, saying the crime was suppressed by the Congress government there as the state was going to the polls.
"This is the truth of the Congress 'nyay' (justice)," he said, in an apparent jibe at the income support scheme Nyay promised by the opposition party if it comes to power.
"The story of the gangrape of a Dalit daughter which took place two weeks ago is now coming out gradually,” Modi said at an election rally in Ghazipur .
"Instead of arresting those involved in this heinous crime, Rajasthan's Congress government and the police got busy in hiding it as they did not want it to come out before the polling was over," he said.
"They wanted to suppress the news, save the accused for the sake of the vote bank," the prime minister said.
The rape had provoked protests across Rajasthan after the victim's husband alleged that the police did not act quickly because of the elections.
He claimed the woman was raped on April 26 and the police informed on April 30, but the FIR was filed only May 7.
Rajasthan voted in the Lok Sabha polls in two phases on April 29 and May 6.
"This is the truth of Congress ‘nyay'. The Congress cannot give 'nyay' to either to the 'beti' or 'beta'. In the name of 'nyay', the Congress has always done injustice with the country," Modi said.
"I want to ask the 'award wapsi gang' why they are silent now? Are they sleeping?" he asked.
Earlier in the day, Bahujan Samaj Party supreme Mayawati made a similar charge against the Ashok Gehlot-led government in Rajasthan.
She claimed the state government did not let the matter come to anyone's notice by "terrorising" the victim's family, till the polls were over in the state.
Mayawati appealed that the Supreme Court should step in as the victim may not get justice under the present circumstances.
The Rajasthan police later suspended a station house officer, shifted a superintendent of police and four policemen after reports about the delay in filing an FIR surfaced.
Six men have been arrested in connection with the crime.
Modi also kept up his attack on the Congress over Sam Pitroda's "hua to hua" (it happened, so what?) remark on the anti-Sikh riots in 1984, saying the comment reflected that party's "arrogance".
His rally in Ghazipur was in support of BJP candidate and Union minister Manoj Sinha.