New Delhi: Angry scenes were witnessed inside the Lok Sabha on Friday as the winter session drew to a close with fierce attack of the treasury bench all aimed at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his insensitive “Rape in India” remark. BJP members condemned the statement and sought an apology.
The issue was raised by the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal after the Lok Sabha Speaker paid tributes to the security personnel who sacrificed their lives in the December 13, 2001 Parliament attack when the House assembled for the day.
Meghwal said Rahul Gandhi mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” slogan calling it “Rape in India”. “Is he inviting people to rape in India? What does his mean? It is shameful. He should apologies to the people of the country.”
Following which, BJP member and West Bengal MP Locket Chatterjee hit out at Gandhi condemning his statement. “Does Rahul Gandhi want people to rape women in India? Come rape us. Is this his thinking?”
Union Minister Smriti Irani lashed out at Rahul Gandhi for his remark ‘Rape in India’ on Friday and called it deplorable that he should play politics on rape, and asked his mother Congress President Sonia Gandhi to advise and guide him.
She demanded an strong action against the former Congress chief and not just an apology.
Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday, while addressing an election rally in Jharkhand took a jibe on the Prime Minister’s pet project ‘Make in India’ and said: “Earlier it was ‘make in India’, but now it is rape in India”.
Speaking to the media outside the Parliament, Irani said how could the Congress leader stoop to such extent as to mean something like “inviting men to India to rape”.
Lashing out at Rahul inside the Lok Sabha, Irani said: “This is the first time in the history of India that a man from Gandhi family has the audacity to insult women and call for their rape.
“This is the first time in the history of India that a leader is giving loud call that Indian women should be raped. Does he mean that all men in India want to rape women? Is this Rahul Gandhi’s message to the people of the country?”
The Minister along with other MPs in the lower House, asked for an apology from Rahul Gandhi. There was rage and fury as she attcaked the Congress. She said: “Rahul Gandhi should be punished for mocking his political opponant and calling ‘Come, rape in India.”
“Women are no one’s personal property and he should know that if someone evokes for their rape, women know how to give a fitting reply.”
Countering DMK MP Kanimozhi’s answer to the Chair that the statement was made “outside the Parliament” the minister said that raising voice against crime against women is the least that a parliamentarian can do.
“I am so disheartened that being a woman you (Kanimozhi) cannot come across the party line and raise your voice on crime against women.”
The incident was followed by a tweet from the BJP official twitter handle: “After everything fails, Rahul Gandhi is back to insulting and denigrating India! It is crass and insensitive to politicise a heinous crime like rape. But what else can we expect of Gandhi scion…”