Bihar case: Opposition MPs walk out after uproar in LS

The opposition MPs on Monday staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha after the government did not concede to their demand for a statement from Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the issue of alleged rape of minor girls at a shelter home in Bihar.

The MPs of the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Trinamool Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist) walked out after an uproar in the House over the alleged rape of 34 minor girls at a shelter home at Muzaffarpur in Bihar.

Ranjeet Ranjan of the Congress and Jai Prakash Yadav of the RJD raised the issue in the House during Zero Hour.

Ranjan alleged that efforts were being made in Bihar to hush up evidence against the culprits responsible for the ordeal of the minor girls at the shelter home. She expressed apprehension that efforts could be made to influence the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation. She also demanded that adequate arrangements should be made to ensure the security of the victims.

Yadav blamed the Janata Dal (United) Government in Bihar for the failure to protect the girls at the shelter homes.

Ranjan, Yadav and other opposition MPs demanded a statement from the Home Minister. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, however, said that the Home Minister had already given a statement in the House on the issue. She wondered what else Home Minister could say now as the CBI had already started an investigation.

The opposition MPs were not convinced and kept on demanding a statement from the Home Minister. Ranjan and Yadav came to the well of the House. As the House witnessed ruckus over the issue, the MPs of the Telugu Desam Party also trooped into the well demanding the return of Rs 350 crore that the Centre had given to the Government of Andhra Pradesh as special assistance for the development of the state after its bifurcation, but had taken it back.

As the ruckus continued, the Speaker adjourned the House for about 10 minutes. But the opposition MPs continued to demand a statement from Home Minister even after the House reassembled at 12:30 p.m. Mahajan told Ranjeet and Yadav that not only them but the entire House shared their concerns over such incidents of atrocities on women. She said that she would ask the government to ensure a fair probe into the alleged sexual assault on minor girls at Muzaffarpur in Bihar is conducted.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar also told the House that he would convey the concerns expressed by the opposition MPs over the incident.

Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, however, reiterated the demand for a statement from Home Minister. He later led the Congress MPs to walk out of the House. The MPs of the RJD, the Trinamool Congress and the CPI (M) too staged a walkout.