Live: LS adjourned amidst chaos, RS seeks harsher penalty for child rape

5:00 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 11 am tomorrow After much theories and calls for death penalty the Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 11 am tomorrow. 4:20 pm: BJP’s Smriti Irani blames inaction of authorities “I am told that when the NCW chairperson was asked whether she would visit the victim then she said that it was a holiday and she would visit later,” Irani said. She blamed mixed responses from authorities for the outrage on the streets. “Women across the country are scared about the plight of their daughters. And these are regular people, not MPs. Can the government now assure the people that its daughters are safe?” Irani said. And yet another call for the death penaty. “Call for an all party meet and we will demand the death penalty for all cases of child rape,” Irani said, adding that the all-party meet should be called in the next 24 hours. 3:40 pm: Javed Akhtar becomes the voice of reason in Parliament Who would have thought it. Poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar slams MPs across the board and says that a return to traditional values and censorship isn’t any answer. Akhtar said that by the definition of MPs, the most number of rapes should take place where there were the largest number of film theatres or where people were most Westernised but that wasn’t the case. “Don’t diagnose problems when you haven’t taken any steps to improve the condition of women,” Akhtar said. He pointed to the fact that domestic violence was so high in the country and it was due to gender prejudice. “They tell us that all rapists should be given the death sentence but that will not help,“Akhtar said. “We need two plans: short term and long term. We need laws against police for not registering a case. They should face jail or removal from the force. You should have fast track courts to ensure justice is delivered on time,” he said. In a society where a women is respected only for being a mother, her condition is bound to be bad, he said, adding that the only cure was gender equality brought about through education. “Many people think that if we go backward we will benefit. We should make a healthy society which can be achieved through education,” he said 3:35 pm: MPs seem united on death penalty for child rapists Gundu Sudharani of the TDP joins the growing demand for death penalty particularly in child rape cases.  And action against cops for failing to discharge their duties properly. All the MPs seem eager to jump onto the death penalty bandwagon. 3:20 pm: SP blames cultural degradation for rapes SP’s Ram Gopal Yadav blames obscenity in media and films for the rising number of rapes. “The rise in obscenity in films and other media, who will stop it? Until you stop it you will not be able to stop rapes,” Yadav said. There is more legislation needed to curb obscenity in the media to prevent sexual assault, he said, adding that Palika Bazaar was a hub of pornography in the national capital. “Have you ever heard of a raid in this place?” he asked. People are becoming more mentally sick and you need to cure them either through electric shock or law, Yadav said. 3:10 pm: MP wants castration and then public humiliation Kanwar Deep Singh of the AITC from Uttarakhand wants castration of criminals in such cases and they should be publicly displayed. “Shock treatment is needed in such cases,” Singh said. 2:55 pm: Sitaram Yechury takes potshot at PJ Kurien CPM’s Sitaram Yechury takes a cheap potshot at Deputy Chairperson PJ Kurien and thanks the other deputy chairperson for taking his place. Yechury says he could not have discussed the issue while someone accused in a similar case was in the Chair. Burn or cheap shot? “We should try to correct structural problems of democracy,” he said. He’s now quoting rape cases across the country and how long it takes for justice to be delivered. “This is not only a isolated case…This is a larger case of law enforcement and justice delivery,” he said. He also makes it a philosophical discussion and says that India suffers from a ‘modernoxical’ mentality. India wants modern things but it is having a toxic effect, he said. “It is a lethal combination…It is a hangover of patriarchy and values from neo-liberal consumerism,” he said. Yechury says that the publicisation of Delhi gangrape in December 2012 had only increased the number of rapes due to neo-liberal consumerism. 2:50 pm: JD(U) takes discussion to a higher plane, criticises values of urban folk “This is not a matter that the police can solve. In states that we come from there are hardly any police and in Delhi there are hundreds of police and yet such rapes happen,” JD(U)’s Shivanand Tiwari thundered “It is a crisis of values,” he said, adding that gossip columns and advertisements also contributed to sexualisation of society. He blamed urban life, patriarchy, loss of values and other facts for such incidents taking palce. 2:45 pm: Mayawati demands censorship, death penalty and more Looks like we spoke to soon, Mayawati says that after the recent Bulundshahar incident, where a minor rape survivor was locked up by police, she had written to the governor seeking president’s rule for Uttar Pradesh. She also joined the chorus for the death penalty for those convicted of child sexual abuse. “We have no reason to stretch the legal proceedings in such cases and we should ensure death penalty for those convicted. Without death penalty this will not end,” she said. The Home Ministry should ensure police reforms so that people received justice. She also argued against adult films being released which resulted in youth “going down the wrong path”. The BSP leader also goes on to criticise the use of ‘harijan’ in Parliament and points out it is unconstitutional and shouldn’t be used by MPs. “There should be an all party meeting to discuss whether any amendments are required in the anti-rape law that we just passed,” she said. Shinde’s still taking notes. BSP MPs appreciatively thump their desks. 2:40 pm: Mayawati says political parties need to rise above regional barriers Strangely enough the voice of sanity so far in the discussion is BSP chief Mayawati who pointed out that political parties needed to rise above regional divides to battle the issue of gangrape and child sexual assault together. “When incidents happen in Delhi the media is present in large number and publicises it. Due to this the government takes note and takes action,” she said. The political parties needed to rise above regional divides and combat the menace together. “When it comes to Uttar Pradesh the sexual assault of women is hardly taken note of,” she said. 2:35 pm: Congress MP says gangrape of minors worse than a hundred deaths “Ask the mothers whose children go through such things. You’re fighting about JPC but this is the real issue to argue about,” Thakur said, demanding the death sentence. She also demanded an all party meet to discuss the matter further. 2:30 pm: Congress condemns rapes across country, gets into slanging match with BJP Congress’ Prabha Thakur started out with condemning rape, particularly of children. “It is worse than a death a hundred times…The incidents are taking place across the country,” she said. When she pointed out that incidents took place across the country and not only in Delhi, it immediately got the goat of Opposition MPs. “You cannot play politics over a rape case. Why don’t you talk about the rape case in Madhya Pradesh,” she shouted. However, the BJP promptly was on its feet and claimed that the police there was more active in registering cases. Really now? Deputy Chairperson PJ Kurien quickly jumped in and brought some order to the proceedings and said the entire House needed to be united in its comdemnation of such incidents. “Raise the discussion to a higher level,” he plaintively appealed. The Home Minister is actively taking notes. Thakur continues and claims that in Delhi at least the criminals are arrested, whereas in Madhya Pradesh even that wasn’t done. Needless to say, it prompted more uproar. But strangely, finally even Thakur demands the death sentence for those convicted in cases of gangrape. 2:15 pm: BJP takes Shinde to task over handling of rape case The BJP has launched into an attack on the Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde over the police’s conduct in connection with the Delhi rape case. “At the time of passing the anti-rape bill you had promised such incident would be deterred…In this case the police even refused to take action initially,” Maya Singh from the BJP said. She questioned the inaction of the police in the case and the statement by the chairperson National Commission for Women’s that she couldn’t go on account of it being a holiday. “We should have security for women. Not the kind that offers Rs 2,000 for the victim but the kind that provides justice,” she said. She also demanded the death penalty for rapists. “Such incidents take place across the country but when such a incident takes place in Delhi it affects the entire nation,” Singh said. 2:05 pm: Home Minister says rapes happen across country A statement made by the Home Minister that cases like the Delhi rape case took place in other states as well is already raising the hackles of protesters who are seeking action in the case. He’s presently in the Rajya Sabha and looks mildly puzzled as MPs continue to seek a discussion on the CBI’s Coalgate report.  The Deputy Chairman says that until the minister chooses to reply to the suggestion from Arun Jaitley nothing can be done. BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad attempted to point out that the issue was a crucial one but is quickly rebuffed by Rajiv Shukla. “The government is ready for discussion, will find out the convenience of the Law Minister and then carry it out,” Shukla said, adding that they would discuss atrocities against women. After a brief dispute, MPs agree to continue discussions on atrocities against women but demand that the CBI report be discussed after that. If there was ever a stalemate, this looks like one. 2:00 pm: Lok Sabha adjourned for the day, RS discusses Delhi rape case While the Rajya Sabha debates the Delhi rape incident in which a five-year-old was the victim, the Lok Sabha has been adjourned for the day over protests by Opposition MPs. 12:50 pm: Rajya Sabha also adjourned till 2 pm As Opposition MPs continued to raise their voices over the government’s lack of interest in discussing the CBI report, Deputy Chairman of the House PJ Kurien adjourned the functioning of the House till 2 pm. 12:45 pm: Govt says it wants to discuss atrocities on women first, CBI report later While MPs seek a discussion on the CBI report on Coalgate, the government has said that it can’t promise a discussion on the subject until the Law Minister is consulted. The Leader of the House Rajeev Shukla said that they would want to discuss the safety of women at 2 pm, and would later be willing to discuss any other topic depending on the decision from the Chairman. The BJP, however, is pushing for a discussion on the subject or a suo motu statement. 12:30 pm: Rajya Sabha resumes A visibly empty Rajya Sabha resumes after the adjournment and the Opposition has sought a reply on what is the status of the discussion on the CBI report on Coalgate. The discussion still seems to hinge on when the debate will take place. 12:07 pm: Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm Lok Sabha just about managed to pass the Science and Technology bill and then was adjourned till 2 pm. Unlikely that the House will continue functioning even after it resumes though. The Rajya Sabha, meanwhile, has been adjourned till 12:30 pm. 12:00 pm: Lok Sabha resumes amidst uproar Speaker Meira Kumar is lending a deaf ear to the deafening protests in the Lower House as MPs of all hues protest against various issues. CPI’s Basudeb Acharya is furiously trying to argue against a bill on biotechnology but is barely audible and the Speaker is trying to get all MPs into their seats. The Opposition MPs refuse to yield from the well of the House and continue to shout slogans. 11:55 pm: BJP says it wants suo motu statement from Law Minister and PMO BJP’s Arun Jaitley amidst a raucous debate over whether there should be a vote to suspend Question Hour to discuss the controversy surrounding the CBI’s status report says the PM and Law Minister should make a suo motu statement. “We request that they suo motu make a statement before the House and we will respond to it,” he said. However, the MPs are still arguing about the motion moved by the AIADMK MP. 11:40 pm: Motion moved to discuss CBI’s report on Coalgate AIADMK wants a discussion on the CBI’s report on Coalgate and there’s a ruckus in Parliament over whether they should discuss it right now or not. Chairman of the House Hamid Ansari tries to schedule the event for later but is promptly shot down. So while the BJP demands that the Parliamentary Affairs Minister should allow a discussion right now. “We are not averse to a discussion on the subject,” Kamal Nath said. 11: 25 am: Tharoor says former BJP minister wants debate, doesn’t say who MoS Shashi Tharoor says there’s a former BJP minister who wants a debate on all issues in Parliament instead of constantly shouting. Who’s the minister? He’s not telling. But whoever it is, evidently doesn’t have too much say in the party’s functioning in Parliament. https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/status/326212521545568256 11:15 am: Rajya Sabha adjourned for 15 minutes After a ruckus in the Rajya Sabha over the Delhi rape , it was also adjourned for 15 minutes. There will be a short discussion on the issue at 2 pm, reported CNN-IBN. 11:05 am: Lok Sabha speaker condemns Delhi rape, House adjourned till noon Speaker Meira Kumar managed to make a brief statement condemning the rape and mutilation of the five-year-old girl in Delhi before the House was disrupted by protests. “We are witness to a rape of a 5-year-old child by a senseless perpetrator,” she said. She pointed out that despite the passing of a new law after the rape and death of the 23-year-old woman in Delhi in December 2012, it wasn’t enough. “Law alone cannot prevent such incidents and a change in attitude is also needed in society and people,” she said, asking for the support of all members of the Lok Sabha in condemning the incident. The MPs in the Opposition then stood up in united in their condemnation, but not of the incident but various issues. MPs shouted slogans over the Delhi rape, some over the CBI’s report on Coalgate, others over Mamata Banerjee being roughed up in Delhi by student activists and still others over the JPC report on the 2G scam. Effectively there was no choice but to adjourn the House till noon. 10:55 am: DMK moves privilege motion against JPC head over leakage of report PTI quotes a senior party leader as saying that the DMK had moved a privilege notice against P C Chacko for allegedly leaking draft JPC report on 2G. 10:40 am: PM says he hopes Parliament will be allowed to function Speaking before he entered Parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed hope that the MPs from across parties would allow the legislative body to function. “It is my sincere wish that the House be allowed to function,” Singh said. “We are willing to debate all the issues,my request to all the members is to let the Parliament function,” Singh said. The Prime Minister pointed out that people had put legislators in Parliament in order to deliver certain goods and they should respect that to allow the two Houses to function. Singh said he was confident that all financial business will be transacted in Parliament to the satisfaction of the government. 10:30 am: Law Minister’s fate to be decided by CBI affidavit in Supreme Court? While they may have publicly ruled out the resignation of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar  over his alleged involvement in the CBI amending its status report on the coal block allocation scandal, the investigating agency’s affidavit in the apex court might reportedly decide whether he will continue as the minister. After a Congress core group meeting held yesterday, ahead of the second half of the Budget session of Parliament, it was decided to keep in abeyance a decision on the Law Minister’s future until the CBI filed its affidavit in the Supreme Court, reported NDTV. So when the Parliament convenes, the Congress plans to back the Law Minister and refuse to give in to the Opposition’s demand for his resignation over the issue. However, after the CBI files its affidavit, the Congress will take a call on whether the minister must give up the post in order to allow Parliament to function, the Indian Express reported_,_ adding that the first week of the Budget session is likely to be a washout over the issue. The Opposition has also reportedly told the government that the Finance Bill could be a casualty in Parliament if their demand for Kumar’s resignation is not accepted. 10:00 am Narayanasamy accuses the BJP of indulging in pressure tactics MoS V Narayanasamy has said that the BJP is merely attempting to indulge in pressure tactics in order to put the government on the mat. “They are saying do this, do that, but they are only trying to use pressure tactics,” the Congress leader pithily told CNN-IBN. The minister said he would be willing to discuss any issue with the Opposition. However, he has higher hopes from alliance partners than he does from the opposition. “As far as our alliance partners are concerned we are talking to them and discussing with them,” he said. 9:45 am: BJP promises to raise issue of Delhi rape and JPC report on 2G scam As expected, the events of the recent days have given enough for the BJP to sharpen its knives ahead of the second half of the Budget session that begins today. “They are looting the country and now they are in a massive cover up. People are angry over corruption, inflation, unemployment, poor implementation of rape law, the JPC cover up, increasing amount of rapes. These are issues we want to raise,” Prakash Javadekar told CNN-IBN. Javadekar says they will raise the issues in Parliament but didn’t rule out the disruption of the two Houses. And he blamed parties allied with the Congress for disrupting the previous half of the Budget session. 9:30 am: What the UPA government wants The UPA government is looking to get some crucial Bills passed in the fortnight-long session, but the political mood on the eve of the session doesn’t provide a conducive atmosphere.  The UPA wants to get the Land Acquisition Bill, the Food Security Bill, and the Lok Bill passed in the hope that it can use these to frame its election campaign for the 2014 elections. According to media reports, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has given voice to her unhappiness over the prolonged delay in securing the passage of these bills, and has asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ensure that at least two of them are cleared during this session. [caption id=“attachment_717228” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters[/caption] The prospects for passage of the Land Acquisition Bill brightened last week after the BJP said it would back the reworked draft of the Bill. The Left parties, however, are opposed to it, and CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat demanded that it be sent to the Standing Committee or a Joint Select Committee for further consideration. But it’s unlikely that that demand will be conceded. The fate of the Food Security Bill is, however, far from certain, since the Opposition parties are disinclined to yield easily on an issue that could work to the Congress’ political advantage so close to the elections. 9:00 am: VP suggests ways to keep Parliament orderly, brushed aside by MPs On Sunday, Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari sought to get all parties to commit themselves to an orderly session of Parliament. He suggested, for instance, that members be automatically suspended if they engaged in disorderly conduct. But there was evidently no political consensus on this issue. Another proposal by Ansari for deferred telecast of parliamentary proceedings too did not get much traction.