The Parliament on Friday witnessed massive uproar over Rahul Gandhi’s ‘rape in India’ remark at a rally in Jharkhand, with BJP MPs demanding an apology from the Congress leader.
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”.
“Modi claims ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’… but from whom to save the girls? Girls have to be protected from BJP MLAs. You might have heard ‘Make in India’ but it has become ‘rape in India’,” Gandhi said as he targeted the Prime Minister over the incidents of rape.
Taking on the remarks, Union Minister Smriti Irani lashed out at Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha saying that “this is the first time in history that a leader is giving a clarion call that Indian women should be raped”.
“Is this Rahul Gandhi’s message to the people of the country?” she questioned.
Irani further called the comment deplorable, saying that he should play politics on rape, and also asked his mother Congress President Sonia Gandhi to advise and guide him.
She also demanded strong action against the former Congress chief and not just an apology.
The Minister along with other MPs in the Lower House asked for an apology from Rahul Gandhi. There was rage and fury as she attacked the Congress leader. She said: “Rahul Gandhi should be punished for mocking his political opponent 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.”
BJP MP Locket Chatterjee also joined Irani to attack Rahul Gandhi saying, “Modi ji said ‘Make in India’ but Rahul ji said ‘rape in India’, he is welcoming everybody that come and rape us..this is an insult to Indian women and to Bharat Mata.”
Speaking to the media outside the Parliament, Smriti Irani said how could the Congress leader stoop to such extent as to mean something like “inviting men to India to rape”.
Countering the BJP in Lok Sabha, DMK MP Kanimozhi said that with the ‘rape in India’ remark, Rahul Gandhi was intending to express concern over what is happening in the country.
“The PM said ‘Make in India’, which we respect, but what is happening in the country? That is what Rahul Gandhi intended to say. Unfortunately, Make in India is not happening and women in the country are being raped. This is a concern,” she defended.
However, Irani hit back saying: “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…”
Meanwhile, a few MPs in Rajya Sabha also raised slogans of ‘Rahul Gandhi maafi maango’ over his ‘rape in India’ remark.
However, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu sought to silence the MPs saying, “You cannot take the name of a person who is not a member of this House. Nobody has the business to disturb the House”.
Following the uproar, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned Sine Die.