'Mob lynching in Bengal, Kerala can't be linked to BJP'

Amid rise in violence by cow vigilantes targeting a certain community, first-time woman MP from BJP Sunita Duggal has said that mob-lynching can not be linked with her party.

"Mob-lynching should not be linked with BJP. It's a sudden thing that has been unfortunately happening. It is happening in West Bengal also. It's is happening in Kerala too. There are no BJP governments in these states," the bureaucrat-turned politician from Sirsa in Haryana told IANS.

Even as opposition parties accuse the ruling BJP of disturbing communal harmony and abetting intolerance in the society, Duggal said that she joined the saffron party in 2014 because its ideology and top leader Narendra Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat, impressed her.

"That's why I quit the job and joined politics in 2014," Duggal said referring to the two reasons.

She credits the increase in women MPs in the Lok Sabha largely to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

"So many women MPs have been elected to the Lok Sabha because of PM Modi and the BJP because they gave so many tickets to women. As many as 41 out of total 78 women MPs are from the BJP," the lone women MP from Haryana said.

It may be mentioned that Haryana has been known for its skewed sex ratio compared to other states. The gender discrimination against women has been frequently reported from the northern state. The signs of improvement have been visible, thanks to various government efforts, but much remains desired.

Perhaps for this reason, women and girl related issues remain a big priority for the Sirsa MP.

"First of all, there is the issue of drug abuse among the youth. Then, a lot of works have to be done for the women and girls. There is the problem of water scarcity. All these issues have to be addressed on priority," the former tax officer-turned-lawmaker said.

Transition from bureaucracy to politics has been quite smooth for Duggal as she now finds herself in better position to work for the people.

"Being an MP, you are a policy-maker and a law-maker. So, if you have something in mind which you can do for the public at large, you get an opportunity to do that," she said. IANS