Ruckus in LS over attempt to burn Unnao rape victim

The Lok Sabha on Friday witnessed uproar with the MPs of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition parties sparred over incidents of rape, accusing each other of politicizing crime against women.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Prahlad Joshi, submitted a notice on behalf of the BJP to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking suspension of two Congress MPs – T N Prathapan and Dean Kuriakose - for allegedly misbehaving in the House and taking a “threatening position”, when Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani was speaking.

Adhir R Chowdhury, leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, took a jibe at the BJP Government in Uttar Pradesh, while speaking about the attempt made by a gang of people accused of raping a woman to set ablaze the victim on her way to the court on Thursday.

Irani later countered him, deploring politicization of crime against women. The MPs of the Congress and the BJP had a war of words when Irani accused the opposition parties of overlooking use of rape as a political weapon in West Bengal, currently ruled by Trinamool Congress.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned twice due to the ruckus, as the BJP kept on insisting on an apology for Congress MPs for misbehaving with Irani. The House was finally adjourned for the day at 2-30 p.m.

Chowdhury recalled demolition of Babri Mosque at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on December 6, 1992, while speaking on the attack on the rape victim at Unnao in the northern State. “On one hand, the temple of Maryada Purushottam Ram Ji (Lord Ram) is being built on the site (where now-demolished Babri Masjid once stood). On the other hand, Sita Maiya (Mother Sita) is being burnt,” he said, triggering protests from the ruling BJP MPs.

The Congress MPs staged a walkout protesting against the silence of the government on the incident.

The rape victim, who suffered 90% burn injuries, is now struggling for life at the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.

Sougata Roy of the Trinamool Congress, Danish Ali of the Bahujan Samaj Party and Arvind Sawant of the Shiv Sena also spoke on the issue.

“You were quiet when rape was used as a political weapon during the West Bengal Panchayat elections,” said Irani, targeting the MPs of the Congress, Trinamool Congress and other opposition parties. “The very fact that you shout here today means that you do not want a woman to stand up and talk about issues that she feels passionate about,” she said, when some MPs from the opposition parties protested against her remarks. The Congress MPs had by then returned to the House. Prathapan and Kuriakose, left seats and entered the aisle near the Well. Prathapan was seen rolling up his sleeves, but he and Kuriakose were stopped by other opposition MPs from moving towards the Treasury Bench. The BJP MPs too rose in support of Irani. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar later said that the opposition MPs must apologize for misbehaving.

Speaker Om Birla later said that it was not proper to make political comments and to come to the Well of the House to threaten anyone.