New Delhi, Dec 13: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday adjourned the House sine die at the conclusion of its winter session amid pandemonium over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “Rape in India” remark.
The Speaker said the lower House reintroduced 18 Bills and passed a total of 14 Bills including the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, SPG (Amendment) Bill, Chit Fund (Amendment) Bill, The Arms (Amendment) Bill.
Besides, the Dadar and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Merger of Union Territories), Bill, the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage, Advertisement) Bill, and National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Public Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Bill.
The House held 20 sittings and ran 130 hours 45 minutes during the winter session which began on November 18 when four new members were added.
A total of 364 matters of public importance were raised during the session. Of which, 121 were raised in the House while 243 were put on the table of the House.
The House assembled two short duration discussions on “Air Pollution and Climate Change” and “Crops Loss and its Impact on Farmers”.
The Lok Sabha Speaker had to adjourn the House sine die after two short adjournments following ruckus which erupted after the treasury benches attacked Gandhi over his “Rape in India” remark.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Gandhi does not have the “moral right” to be an MP and sought his apology in Parliament.
Union Minister Smriti Irani called Gandhi’s statement deplorable and that he should not play politics on rape, asking his mother Congress President Sonia Gandhi to advise and guide him.
The issue was raised by the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal after the Lok Sabha Speaker paid tribute to the security personnel who sacrificed their lives in the December 13, 2001 Parliament attack, when the House assembled for the day.
Meghwal said Gandhi mocked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” slogan calling it “Rape in India”.
“Is he inviting people to rape in India? What does this mean? It is shameful. He should apologise to the people of the country,” she thundered.
Gandhi made the “Rape in India” statement during a public rally in Jharkhand’s Godda district on Thursday when he attacked the Narendra Modi government over rise in crimes against women, saying: “the Prime Minister had launched ‘Make in India’ but, nowadays, it is ‘Rape in India’.”
