Girls as young as 8 years old are reportedly being openly auctioned. (File)
Under fire over reports of "auctioning" of girls on stamp papers in Rajasthan, chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said the Congress party had exposed such cases which had been happening during the previous regime of the BJP in the state.
"The incident happened in 2005 when BJP was in power. In 2019, we came and exposed it. ...21 accused were arrested, three died and one is missing. Two children died, and the rest went to their homes. It was turned into national news," Gehlot said addressing a press conference here.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the National Commission for Women (NCW), the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the Rajasthan State Commission for Women (RSCW) have all sought reports into the allegations.
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chief Swati Maliwal had also written to Ashok Gehlot seeking action against the culprits for auctioning of girls on stamp papers to settle disputes over loan repayments in the Bhilwara district of Rajasthan.
"It is reported in the newspaper that girls as young as 8 years old are being openly auctioned on a stamp paper in over half a dozen districts of the state. The report has stated that whenever there is a dispute between two parties particularly involving financial transactions and loans, people approach caste-based panchayats to settle the matter, the DCW chief wrote.
"These panchayats settle financial disputes and recover the money by auctioning young girls belonging to the lender families. The girls are then sent to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai, Delhi and even abroad and subjected to physical abuse, torture and sexual assault. If the families refuse to sell their girls, their mothers are subjected to rape on the diktats of the local caste panchayats!," Ms Maliwal's letter read.
Meanwhile, a Congress observer for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls, currently on a four-day tour of Gujarat also highlighted the impact of "good governance" in Rajasthan.
"There has been a good impact of our governance on the people of Rajasthan. I want Congress to get an opportunity in Gujarat too. We want to give good governance to the state and show people the difference between the functioning of Congress and BJP," he added.
Talking about Gujarat Ashok Gehlot said, "BJP created artificial aura which is being smashed now. They don't have candidates for upcoming elections here. People are understanding their tricks. Congress kept the democracy of election alive. BJP believes in fascism and wears the mask of democracy to win elections."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)