The BJP Monday slammed the Congress for expelling former AICC member Simi Rose Bell John from the party after she alleged “exploitation” and “casting couch” in the party, asserting that in any other organisation this would have led to an inquiry.
Citing Hema Committee report, BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar said: “I draw your attention today, given these unfortunate happenings, to a senior lady leader of the Congress in Kerala, Simi Rose Bell, who has alleged that there is exploitation in the Congress, and when she points out that there is a casting couch in the Kerala Congress, she is summarily dismissed from the party… In any other place in India, if a woman in the workplace raises an issue of sexual harassment, it is the bounden duty of the organisation under the law to constitute a committee, a Visakha committee, to investigate the accusations of harassment…”
“This is the same Congress party where Rahul Gandhi would go to J&K and say women had talked about rape and harassment. When it comes to his own party, the Congress in Kerala, which has a long list of dubious records of complaints from women, he does nothing,’’ he said.
Recalling that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had coined the slogan ‘ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon (I am a girl; I can fight)’, Chandrashekhar said that in reality, the Congress chose not to investigate the charges made by a woman and removed her from the party.
On Sunday, Congress in Kerala expelled Rose Bell from the primary membership of the party after she alleged that one has to be willing for exploitation for opportunities in Congress.
KPCC chief K Sudhakaran said in a statement, “She had raised the allegation to insult women leaders in Congress. She was removed as her act was found as an act of grave indiscipline.”
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