Congress, RJD walk out of Lok Sabha over Muzaffarpur case
New Delhi, Aug 6: Opposition parties, including Congress and RJD, on Monday staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha demanding a statement from Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Muzaffarpur shelter home rapes, and alleging that evidence had been tampered with.
"Home Minister is here, why he is not replying," Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said in the Lok Sabha soon after the House resumed its business after a brief adjournment on the issue.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the issue had been raised in the House earlier also and assured the MPs that the CBI inquiry into the matter will be impartial.
He said the MPs' concerns will be brought to the attention of the Home Minister. Not satisfied with his reply, Opposition members, including those from Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal and CPI-M, walked out.
Earlier, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said the government should monitor the CBI inquiry.
The House was earlier adjourned for 15 minutes after Congress member from Bihar's Supaul, Ranjeet Ranjan, came near the Speaker's podium and tore the paper she was holding and threw it towards the chair.
She also threw books from the table of the Lok Sabha Secretary General.
Ranjan alleged that evidence had been tampered with and some of the accused had fled to Nepal. She said the state government did not show seriousness on the issue.
Rashtriya Janata Dal member Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav also expressed his concern.
As many as 34 minor girls were allegedly sexually assaulted in the Balika Grih, a short-stay girls' shelter home run by an NGO in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district.
The shelter home has been sealed after the horror came to light. The state's Social Welfare Department has filed an FIR based on the findings of a social audit conducted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
CPI(M) rebel Kunhikrishnan hopes for 5,000-vote win in Payyanur
Kannur (Kerala) (PTI): CPI(M) rebel candidate V Kunhikrishnan, who contested as a UDF-backed Independent from Payyanur here, on Saturday said he was hoping to win the Assembly election by a margin of 5,000 votes.
Kunhikrishnan was expelled from the CPI(M) earlier this year after raising allegations of corruption in the party’s martyrs’ fund against sitting MLA T I Madhusoodanan.
Speaking to a TV channel, Kunhikrishnan said he had announced his candidature as a mark of protest and not with expectations of victory.
However, he said the situation had changed drastically, with a strong undercurrent within CPI(M) votes favouring him.
"The undercurrent in CPI(M) votes cannot be measured. Now people are giving a response indicating victory with a margin of at least 5,000 votes," he said.
Payyanur is considered a CPI(M) stronghold, and a defeat for Madhusoodanan there would be a major setback for the party.
On political violence in Payyanur, Kunhikrishnan said he had been facing it since filing his nomination.
"The people leading this violence should think about how long they can continue it. It is the police which has to take the initiative to stop this violence as part of maintaining law and order. But the police are not intervening at the required level," he said.
Regarding his political future, Kunhikrishnan said efforts were underway to strengthen Left groups, and discussions were being held across Kerala in that regard.
"After discussing with others, a decision will be taken," he said.
Kunhikrishnan is among six former CPI(M) leaders who either exited the party or were suspended before contesting for the UDF in the April 9 Assembly elections.
Elections to the 140-seat Kerala Assembly were held on April 9, and the counting of votes will be held on May 4.
