On Wednesday, Vice-president Venkaiah Naidu spoke upon linking rapes with politics. He gave a definite allusion to the protests over recent incidents of sexual assault and murder in Kathua and Unnao. He was addressing a conference at the launch of the Atal Amrit Abhiyaan. This Abhiyaan is a health insurance initiative of the Assam government, during his visit to Guwahati.

Recently Naidu is on a three-day tour of Assam, Meghalaya, and Manipur. He also said that only getting in a new bill will not arise cases of violence against women in the country. He stated, “The mindset needs to change. There should be stringent implementation of the law by the state governments concerned.”

The rape and murder of an eight-year-old child allegedly at Kathua and the alleged sexual assault of an Unnao resident by BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar have put the ruling NDA government on the backfoot. In recent months, BJP-ruled Assam has also observed a bunch of crime against women. Residents of the state took out a series of protests after the brutal rape and murder of a Class 5 student at Nagaon in March.

In what appeared to be a veiled mention to the original Dalit protests against an SC order, Naidu then went on to blame “those trying to create controversies on the basis of caste and religion” in the country. “They believe it is a shortcut to power. We should be careful about these people,” he further added. In his whole statement, he avoided from naming any political party.