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Unnao Rape Survivor's Accident Rocks Parliament: What The Govt Said

Amid the Opposition protests, Minister Danve Raosaheb Dadarao tried to speak about the Consumer Protection Bill, 2019, from the fourth row.
A member of the parliament of Samajwadi Party displays a placard during a protest calling for action in the Unnao rape case, at the Parliament House in New Delhi on July 30, 2019
PRAKASH SINGH via Getty Images
A member of the parliament of Samajwadi Party displays a placard during a protest calling for action in the Unnao rape case, at the Parliament House in New Delhi on July 30, 2019

The ruling BJP, including Union ministers, asserted that the Uttar Pradesh government is taking steps to ensure justice for the girl and her family and urged the Opposition on Tuesday not to politicise the matter.

Their comments came amid vociferous protests and sloganeering by Opposition parties, including the Congress, in the Lok Sabha over Sunday’s car accident involving the Unnao rape survivor. BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, an accused in the rape case, has also been charged with murder in connection with the accident.

What the govt said

— Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi urged protesting members not to politicise the matter and said the UP government was doing everything to ensure justice.

— Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti claimed the truck belonged to a worker of the Samajwadi Party.

— BJP leader Jagdambika Pal claimed the truck that hit the car ― in which the girl, her family members and lawyers were travelling ― belonged to a Samajwadi Party leader. He also alleged that the Congress was trying to tarnish the image of the BJP.

Speaker Om Birla gave an opportunity for members to speak on the matter but told them that issues related to states should not be raised in the House as Opposition continued with their protests.

— BJP member Meenakshi Lekhi, who was in the Speaker’s Chair, asked the Opposition to be constructive and said that the CBI is already probing the case.

She told Congress’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury that they were indulging in politics over the issue.

“Whatever is the truth, it will come out,” she said and urged protesting members to go back to their seats.

— Amid the protests, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Danve Raosaheb Dadarao spoke about the Consumer Protection Bill, 2019, from the fourth row.

— Before him, his senior Ram Vilas Paswan had begun talking about the bill from the first row but was not audible amid the ruckus.

Later, Joshi and Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy were seen talking to Paswan. Soon after, Dadarao walked to the fourth row and then began speaking about the bill.

Opposition protest

The protests, that began soon after the House convened for the day, was led by Congress members and joined by members from the Trinamool Congress, DMK and BSP, among others.

— More than 30 members, mostly from the Congress were in the Well, for nearly 40 minutes and were heard shouting ‘we want justice’. Members of the parties also walked out of the House in protest.

— Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said it was shameful and demanded that adequate security should be provided to the victim’s family. He made it clear that there was no intention to politicise the case.

— In Lucknow, Congress workers staged dharna, led by the leader of the Legislature Party Ajay Kumar Lallu, demanding Senghar’s expulsion from BJP.

“Government has become criminal-friendly. It should act impartially but it appears to be standing alongside the one who is committing one crime after the other. The government’s role is not impartial. We are demanding justice for the victims and they accuse us of doing politics,” senior party leader Akhilesh Pratap Singh said.

BSP president Mayawati tweeted, “The meeting of BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj with the rape-accused BJP MLA in jail proved that the raped accused are continuously getting the patronage of the ruling BJP...The Supreme Court needs to take cognizance of it.”

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, who met the family members of the rape survivor at the hospital, held the government fully responsible for the accident. “Can the state government not ensure justice to this beti (daughter). What is the fault of the family members? If something happens to the two injured who will be responsible for it,” Yadav asked.

The car crash

On Monday, the Uttar Pradesh police filed a murder case against Sengar and nine others following a complaint by the Unnao rape survivor’s family, alleging “conspiracy” behind the Sunday’s car crash in which the victim was severely injured and two of her family members were killed.

Earlier on Tuesday, members of the rape survivor’s family sat on a dharna outside the KGMU Trauma Centre in Lucknow — where the survivor is under treatment — to demand parole for her uncle Mahesh Singh. Her uncle is lodged in the Rae Bareli jail and had asked for parole to perform the last rites of his wife and sister-in-law who had died in Sunday’s road accident.

(With PTI inputs)

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.