Incidents of setting afire a rape victim in Unnao and police encounter of alleged rapists in Hyderabad echoed in Lok Sabha on Friday with Opposition and Treasury Benches trading charges of politicisation of the issue against each other.
Leader of opposition Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury who spoke during zero hour created an uproar in the house by saying that while Government was planning to construct a temple for Lord Ram, “ sita ko jalaya jar rahan hai” (Sita is being burnt) and accused the Government of inaction. He was referring to the Unnao case in Uttar Pradesh, a BJP-ruled state, where a woman rape-survivor was burnt alive this week by the rape accused on the bail. The woman with 90 per cent burnt is in critical condition in a Delhi hospital.
The Unnao incident in Uttar Pradesh happened a day after a woman veterinarian in Hyderabad was gang-raped, killed and her body burnt as the stranded woman was seeking help after her two-wheeler’s got deflated at a secluded place. All the four alleged rapists of Veterinarian woman were sensationally killed in a controversial Rs encounterRs on Friday night.
Chowdhury said while there are talks to make Uttar Pradesh a Uttam Pradesh (best State), it is become “Adharm Pradesh” (broadly land of lawlessness).
Intervening, Irani said it was unfortunate that incidents of rape and killing of women are being communalised and politicised. She said the opposition members are not referring to a similar case in Malda in West Bengal.
“Yes, setting afire a woman is condemnable, yes, the rape and killing of a woman is inhuman, but do not politicise the issue. No one has ever communalised the issue in this House,” she said responding to Chowdhury’s comments on Unnao rape and killing case in UP.
At this point, Congress MPs T N Prathapan and Dean Kuriakose came to the aisle near the Well and shouted something. One of them was pulled back by some Congress and NCP members. Tampers rose high with verbal exchanges disrupting the house proceedings. Speaker Om Birla adjourned the house until lunch break. When house resumed proceedings , the Government sought an apology from two Lok Sabha members of the Congress for their “threatening position” towards Irani, when she was speaking on the Unnao rape issue in the House.
“This is the most condemnable behaviour. They came in threatening position...When she was speaking. She is a lady member of the house. It is most uncalled and they should apologise,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said in the House when it assembled after lunch break.
Meenakshi Lekhi, who was in the Chair, told Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to ask his party MPs to come to the House and seek an apology. The two MPs did not turn up in the house. The house was then adjourned for the day. The Speaker is expected to take against the two Congress MPs on Monday. The BJP has given a notice to the Speaker to suspend two Congress members for their alleged unruly behaviour against Irani in the House.
Earlier speaking on the rape and Hyderabad police encounter issue during Zero Hour, Lekhi (BJP) said police had to open fire when the accused tried to escape. The MP sought to justify encounter of rape accused.
“Police ko hatiyar sajane ke liye nahin diye gaye” (Police have not been given weapons for keeping as show piece), she said.