Parliament adjourned amidst protests from BJP MPs over Rahul Gandhi’s “Rape in India” remark

The Lok Sabha was adjourned at noon today as MPs from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continued making protests over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent remark on “rape”. The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned after such protests from BJP MPs.

At an election rally in Jharkhand yesterday, Rahul Gandhi had said that though Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised the slogan of “Make in India”, the situation in the country was such that it may as well be called “Rape in India”.

Referring to the Unnao rape case where a girl was allegedly raped and threatened by BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar, Gandhi said that while the Prime Minister has started Centre’s flagship “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” initiative, he hasn’t made it clear whom to save the girl child from. Gandhi then answered it himself saying the girls were to be saved from were actually BJP MLAs.

On Friday, as the session started, BJP MP Arjun Ram Meghwal told the Speaker that several BJP MPs had moved an adjournment motion over Gandhi’s remarks and that the MPs be allowed to speak on the issue. The MP also demanded that Gandhi should apologise to the house.

Interpreting Gandhi’s remark of “Rape in India”, BJP MP Smriti Irani said that this was the first time in the history of the country that a leader has called for raping of women. She alleged that this is the first time that a Congress leader has made a serious issue like rape – a political one.

Irani asked Gandhi whether he thought that every man was a rapist. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that people who made such comments had no right to be a member of the Parliament.

DMK MP Kanimozhi meanwhile, supported Gandhi saying that while the PM had said “Make in India”, that is not what is really happening in the country these days. Instead, the women are being raped and that is what Gandhi raised a concern about.

Rahul Gandhi later said that he would not apologise for his statement and said that BJP and Narendra Modi were trying to divert people’s attention from the economic slump and the protests in the Northeast against NRC and Citizenship Amendment Bill by saying such things. He also accused Modi of “spreading violence” in the Northeast and Kashmir.

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