The Bharatiya Janata Party accused former Congress President Rahul Gandhi of lying to the country on Tuesday after the mother of a nine-year-old Dalit girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in Delhi on August 1 told a news channel that the family had not given Gandhi permission to share any photographs of their meeting.
The Wayanad MP had tweeted a photo of himself meeting the victim’s family on August 4, prompting the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights to file a complaint against him (NCPCR). Even as the BJP accused him and his party of politicising the issue, his Twitter account was locked for a few days and the controversial tweet was withheld.
After submitting a consent letter from the victim’s parents authorising him to use the image, Twitter unlocked his account on August 14.
The victim’s family was also heard telling news outlets the day before, on August 13, that they had no objection to Gandhi sharing their photograph on social media because he did so in good faith.
But on Tuesday, the mother of the victim said something different to news channel Times Now. “We have not given consent to share the photos or reveal her (the victim) identity to anyone except the court,” the mother said.
Following this, the BJP launched a fresh attack on Gandhi, calling him “insensitive”, and demanded that his Twitter account be locked again. “Rahul Gandhi has lost credibility and is a habitual liar. The public has locked his political account, now Twitter should also lock his account,” party spokesperson Sambit Patra said.
Union minister for women and child development, Smriti Irani, joined in the tirade on Twitter: “That he lacks sensitivity, disrespects the law and lies on important issues was well known but using a child’s parents to score a political point over a rape crime is indicative of a depraved mindset. The former Congress President is beyond redemption.”
The controversial tweet will be withheld in India in accordance with local laws and Twitter’s own terms of service, but the company reiterated that the decision to unlock Gandhi’s account was made after the family’s formal consent letter was reviewed by its grievance channel in India.
Suresh Chaudhary, a lawyer representing the victim’s parents, said his clients hold a “neutral position” on the issue of sharing their images. “My clients have told me that they neither gave any written consent (to share their photograph), nor have they submitted any complaint in this connection,” said Chaudhary.
He further said that his clients are people who have little knowledge of social media or such consent. “They don’t even own a mobile phone. What would they understand about Twitter and Facebook?” said Chaudhary.
But a Congress functionary familiar with the matter said the family’s claim contradicts their previous claim. “In an earlier interview with India Today, the family said they had no objection to the photograph being shared,” the functionary said, requesting anonymity. “The fact that so many senior BJP leaders have made statements show how scared the party is of Rahul Gandhi.”
The functionary added that since August 4, when Gandhi’s Twitter account was locked over the post, he has refrained from posting on the microblogging platform. “He’s basically disappointed that the government of the day pressures private companies to interfere in the internal polity of the country,” the functionary said. “He has strong opinions on the way the social media entities are becoming monopolistic and overbearing.”
