Members in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday transcended political barriers to voice concern over rape of a young executive in a cab in the national capital, with the House standing as one in condemning the heinous crime and demanding action against the guilty.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Rajani Patel (Congress) said the previous UPA government's initiative to start a website to name-and-shame rape convicts has been given a quiet burial.
Noting that names of sexual offenders in countries like the US and South Africa are put on website, she demanded revival of the UPA government initiative.
She said that before coming to power BJP had made tall promises but women are more insecure under its rule and demanded quick action to punish the guilty and those who gave the accused driver fake certificates.
Viplove Thakur (Cong) said this is not the first incident since BJP came to power, while her party colleague Vijaylaxmi Sadho said the actions of the government have not matched its talks and it should be ashamed.
Several opposition members associated themselves with the issue.
Vijay Goel (BJP) said the cab did not have GPS and the character certificate of the driver was false, responsibility for which should be fixed and culprits punished.
He commended the Delhi Police for catching the culprit within 3 days and said there was a need to reduce working hours of policemen from 16 hours a day at present.
Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said the whole House condemns this heinous crime and hoped the government will take steps to punish the culprit and take steps to ensure such crimes do not recur.
Accusing the government of "irresponsibility and insensitivity", Communist Party of India-Marxist demanded a clarification from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a report that his office has shot down a proposal to set up the much touted "one stop crisis centre" conceived by UPA government in the aftermath of the Nirbhaya case.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, T N Seema (CPI-M) also wondered why the decision was taken by the Prime Minister's Office even as funds were allocated and the Ministry of Women and Child Development had begun work on it.
A newspaper report had said the PMO has shot down the plan of the Women and Child Development Ministry to set up such centres in every district on the argument that the scheme was unnecessary and that the services can be provided through the existing infrastructure.
Seema said the project was conceived as per the report of the Justice S J Verma Committee but the "PMO has shot down" the report.
"What an irresponsible and insensitive attitude of the Government, when there is an alarming rise" in the cases of women atrocities, she said and asked, "How can the PMO do this to the project for which funds have already been given."
"Abolish the Women and Child Development Ministry if the PMO has to decide on even WCD (issues)," she said sarcastically.
The CPI-M leader alleged that no steps were taken on setting up of the centres during the earlier government and "now it is NDA government's turn to befool the masses".
She demanded that the prime minister should come to the House and clarify the PMO's decision. A number of members from Opposition parties associated themselves with the issue raised by Seema.
