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Politics & social justice
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Protesters demand justice for rape victim post Indian PM Modi’s speech in London

Modi addresses some issues surrounding India today, rape culture, however was the key issue for the protesters in London.

Modi bowing down to Statue of Basavanna in London

Over the past week, gang rape of Asifa, a poor minor from Kathua, has taken the country by storm. In another part of India, a girl claiming that a member of the right wing party, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) had sexually assaulted her, in Madhya Pradesh mourns her father’s death who was murdered while in Police Custody for trying to get justice for her daughter.

 

Prime Minister of India, Modi, talked about rape of minors in India, surgical strikes and poverty in his speech, held in London on 18 April 2018. The event has hosted by Prasoon Joshi, Chairman of the Centeral Board of Film Certification in India, at London townhall.

Ever since, thousands in India and UK have taken to social media and on the roads demanding PM Modi to take actions against members of his party who rallied in favour of the rapists in Jammu and Kashmir and the party member in Madhya Pradesh, Kuldeep Singh who has been accused of sexual assault.

At the speech Modi says “This is a matter of great concern for the country and these sinners are somebody’s sons… The rape of a (daughter) is a matter of worry, a shame for the country,”.

“We have such good policies. In spite of that, it is not reaching the people. When a child is raped, we cannot compare these incidents in numbers for different governments. Rape is rape,” he added.

While, the downhill was filled with the cheers of Modi’s followers in UK, Modi was also welcomed with a protest held by left wing believers who expressed that he wasn’t welcomed in London and demanded that he return to India. Amongst the protestors with Kashmiri Sikhs and Tamilians. They held up posters that read “Justice for Asifa” and “Modi not welcome in UK”. Images from the protest have started to emerge on social media, too.

 

International Indian Student at Cardiff University, Priyanka Mehta says “Often we notice that while a country faces turmoil, the leaders tend to shift public’s focus on to international activities.

Clearly, Modi’s visit to London was a way for him to tell his followers that he’s making good trade relations with Britain post-Brexit,”.

Another student at Cardiff University, Varun Tiwary  expresses “The number of rapes that have been happening in India and the social discrimination that women have to face  without any sort of policy protecting them, is shameful. How many girls will have to get raped before the government realises that we need an new structure and new policies to provide equality and justice for women in India.”

 

Modi says that he would have preferred if issues as severe as rape weren’t politisised. While there were many responses to Modi’s statement, here is what Ashok Swaine, a professor at UPPSALA University had to say:

 

Amongst other issues, Modi also addressed the problem of healthcare and sanitation in India. “Whether it is wellness centre for the country or private healthcare, we are working for the health of every Indian,” he said.

Modi also pointed out that no other government has focused on sanitation in the past, in India. “We are working with a holistic approach for the health sector at the same time we’re working towards more cleanliness. Now if people call it Modicare so be it,” said the PM.

 

In efforts of justifying in actions Modi said “I assure the citizens that I can make mistakes but I will not work with wrong intentions”.