Among the 51 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and Members of Parliament (MPs) that face charges of crime against women, BJP has the maximum number of such politicians at 14. According to an Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report, BJP MLAs and MPs are the most notorious when it comes to committing various kinds of crimes against women. The saffron party is followed by Shiv Sena which has 7 politicians indulged in crimes against women while Trinamool Congress (TMC) is third with 6 such MPs and MLAs.
The ADR report, which has come amid uproar over Unnao rape case where a BJP MLA is the prime accused, said, “There are 51 MPs and MLAs who have declared cases of crime against women such as charges related to assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, rape, husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty, buying minor for purposes of prostitution and word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.”
In the detailed report released by the Association, there was a state-wise breakdown of politicians that have criminal cases against them. The largest share of such MLAs and MPs come from Maharashtra which stands at 12, West Bengal has the second highest share with 11 politicians. Out of the total 51 MLAs and MPs charged with crimes against women, Odisha has a share of 6.
Along with Kathua rape and murder case of an 8-year-old, Unnao rape case is the most recent case that has taken the country by storm. The main accused in the Unnao case is BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar. Not just him, even the UP CM Yogi Adityanath has been known to have given controversial statements against women.
According to a Hindustan Times report, Adityanath wrote to them opining on the Women’s Reservation Bill in 2010. “There is women’s reservation at present at local levels. How does this (the bill) affect their domestic responsibilities like childcare?” he told them. “If men develop feminine traits, they become gods, but if women develop masculine traits they become demons… Western ideas of women’s liberation should be properly analysed in the Indian context,” he added.