Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray stated on Thursday that while it was good that President Droupadi Murmu has expressed her anguish over crimes against women, but had she spoken after what happened in Manipur, such incidents would not have taken place.
Through the personalised article titled "Women's Safety: Enough is Enough", the President on Wednesday articulated her views for the first time on the August 9 Kolkata incident, in which a 31-year-old on-duty junior doctor was brutally raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. While commenting on the incident, the President said that she is "dismayed and horrified".
"Enough is enough. No civilised society can allow daughters and sisters to be subjected to such atrocities", said the president.
Murmu also spoke about the mindset that sees women as lesser human beings, saying, "Very often a ‘deplorable mindset’ sees the female as a lesser human being, less powerful, less capable, less intelligent. Those who share such views then go further and see the female as an object… We owe it to our daughters to remove the hurdles from their path of winning the freedom from fear.”
Reacting to the remarks, Thackeray said: "Probably it is for the first time the president said that she is petrified and that enough is enough. It is good. We got to know that the president also has that (same) emotions. But had she spoken during the Manipur incident after she became the president, further incidents would not have taken place."
Without providing any details, the former chief minister seemed to be referring to a video that showed two women being stripped and paraded by a mob in violence-hit Manipur. The incident took place in May 2023 and a video of the assault surfaced a few months later, triggering a nation-wide outrage.
"Do we keep counting (the crimes) and then say enough is enough?" Thackeray asked, speaking at an event of the Ganeshotsav Coordination Committee.
Thackeray accused the BJP, his former ally, of using a "divide and rule" policy and creating a wedge among different sections of society. He also said that there is a need for 'Shakti law' (with stringent punishments for crimes against women, including the death penalty), though the existing legislations are strong enough to deal with the menace, but what if those who implement them are "goons".
