Amit Shah's Denial No BJP Leader Made Rape Remark About Shaheen Bagh Is False

Home Minister Amit Shah's denial stating no Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader made any comment that 'protesters at Shaheen Bagh would enter houses and rape women', is false as the communal remark was made by BJP MP Parvesh Verma weeks ahead of assembly elections in Delhi.

The home minister refuted the allegation while being interviewed by Navika Kumar, managing editor of Times Now, at a summit hosted by the channel on February 13, 2020.

Kumar began by asking the minister about the party's performance in the recently concluded assembly elections in Delhi, where BJP won 8 seats while the Aam Aadmi Party won 62 out of 70 seats, meanwhile the Indian National Congress drew a blank in the contest.

Kumar also questioned the home minister whether some of the controversial remarks made by BJP leaders including Parvesh Verma's comments in the run-up to the election had done the party harm. Other examples Kumar cited were Kapil Mishra's tweet comparing the election to an Indian-Pakistan cricket match and Union minister Anurag Thakur's slogans at a rally about shooting traitors. (desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maro saalon ko)

In response, Shah said, "no such statement was made by anyone that daughters-in-law and daughters would be raped, but other things that you said, even those comments should not have been made, the party quickly distanced itself (from those statements)"

While Shah admitted that certain statements should not have been made he denied that a remark about rape was made.

One can listen to the question and Shah's reply at the 8.35 minute mark.

FACT-CHECK

BOOM found that Delhi BJP Member of Parliament (MP) Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma while speaking to ANI on January 28, 2020 made the controversial remark which Shah denied.

Delhi's Shaheen Bagh has become the face of the protests against the new citizenship law, in the capital and has been led mainly by Muslim women. The protest has also attracted a large number of critics who argue that it inconveniences residents of the city, among other reasons for opposing the protest.

Parvesh Verma's comments were in context of the protests at Shaheen Bagh. Below is a translation of his quote to ANI.

"Look Arvind Kejriwal also says I'm with Shaheen Bagh and Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodiya also says I'm with Shaheen Bagh. Delhi's public know the fire, which a few years ago, started in Kashmir, there the Kashmiri Pandits' sisters and daughters were raped and then that fire kept burning in UP, Hyderabad, Kerala, today that fire is in a corner of Delhi. There are lakhs of people gathered there (Shaheen Bagh), and that fire can anytime reach the houses of people in Delhi and in our houses. People of Delhi will have to think and take a decision. These people will enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters, and kill them. That is why there is time today, Modi ji & Amit Shah won't come to save you tomorrow."

"Today there is time, today if the people of Delhi wake up, it will be good, there feel they are safe today and they will feel safe l till the country's prime minister is Modi ji, if someone else becomes the prime minister then the people of this country won't feel safe."

One can view the controversial statement from 50 seconds timestamp.

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