The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is under fire in Gujarat after a rape case filed by a 21-year-old from Surat escalated with 2 BJP lawmakers accusing each other and trading charges on the controversial case.
The women alleged that she was raped by Jayant Bhanushali, a local BJP lawmaker from Kutch. Despite her complaint, the police are yet to arrest him, leading her to appear before the media on Tuesday. In her statement, she alleged that the lawmaker raped her and subjected her to sexual harassment under the pretext of getting her admission into a private college and a job.
The episode has been trending on local media and social media has gone abuzz with the allegations, proving to be a major embarrassment for the party. In a statement, the Gujarat BJP said that Bhanushali had already resigned from his post as Vice President.
The police have lodged an FIR against the influential leader and has been summoned to appear before the police.
However, the tale took a drastic twist when a man from Ahmedabad surfaced, claiming to be the former husband of the victim. He went on to claim that she played victim for money, and has sexual relationships with multiple men prompting him to divorce her.
He alleged that she made CD's of her acts to blackmail her victims, so there was no need to take her seriously. The case got murkier when he said that BJP leader Chhabil Patel threatened him to divorce the woman.
Patel is a former Congress legislator who joined BJP in 2014, and a big rival to Bhanushali. Both of them have been attempting to establish their dominance in Kutch. Patel unsuccessfully contested assembly polls in 2017.
Responding to the allegations, Patel said: "he was being dragged in the matter at the behest of Bhanushali, who has been exposed and facing arrest." He went on to call Bhanushali a blackmailer and land grabber, saying that other victims are likely to come forward and file complaints since he cheated them and promised jobs and money in return for sexual favours.
Last year, a Mumbai-based woman filed a case against 10 people including a local BJP leader in Kuch, alleging repeated gang rape and sexual harassment.
