Allegations of coercion and threat in the recent biennial polls to the Rajya Sabha, rape of a four-year-old girl in New Delhi, banning so-called misleading advertisements of cosmetic creams and lack of toilets for women on the national highways were some of the issues which figured prominently in the House on Tuesday.
The Opposition, including the Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) accused the ruling BJP combine of alleged coercion in the Rajya Sabha polls and demanded setting up of a parliamentary panel to probe the matter. The Government, however, rejected the charge and said if there was any proof of such a practice the law will take its course.
Raising the issue, Sanjiv Kumar (JMM) said he will back his charge of coercion and using senior administrative officers to threaten MlAs with a compact disc of audio recordings. He claimed the tape carried the recording of the IPS officer threatening the husband of an Opposition MlA to get her vote in favour of a candidate of the ruling party.
The JMM member said he will submit the CD to leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and the Home Minister adding the ruling party used allurements to win over Opposition MlAs. Azad also demanded sacking of the officer involved, alleging that it had become a modus operandi under the present dispensation to use threats and coercion. Describing such actions as undemocratic and therefore unacceptable, he demanded a House Committee to probe the issue.
Sharad Yadav (JDU) said irregularities in Rajya Sabha polls were a very serious issue and a probe has to be done. Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) said the CD should be investigated, guilt established and the guilty punished.
Rejecting these allegations, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the Government had full confidence in the ability of the Election Commission to hold free and fair elections.
He said the allegations were far removed from facts and action will be initiated as per procedure in case the CD is produced. The Opposition then raised a din for a brief while.
The entire Opposition besides Deputy Chairman P J Kurien expressed concern over the incident of rape of a four-year old girl in New Delhi on Monday. Kurien also directed the government to have a discussion on crime against women and child abuse in the Rajya Sabha as demanded by some members.
The issue was raised by Kanimozhi (DMK), and Jaya Bachchan also associated herself with it. “This is not the only incident (of rape of a girl child) happening in the country... We are not very sensitive to such acts,” Kanimozhi said and demanded strict action. Bachchan said for the past some sessions she was seeking a discussion on this issue but of no avail. Naqvi said the government condemns the incident in strongest possible terms and will act under stringent laws against the guilty.