Moga bus molestation and girl's death force multiple adjournments in Parliament
In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan rejected an adjournment motion moved by the Congress, seeking suspension of Question Hour to discuss the "growing lawlessness" in Punjab.
She promised to allow Congress leader Amarinder Singh to speak after Question Hour.
In the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the state government took immediate action and it was not proper to discuss the working of state governments in the House.
The Punjab government is run by the coalition of Akali Dal and BJP.
Akali Dal MP Naresh Gujral also argued that law and order is a state subject and not under Parliament's purview. His remark was confronted by CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury who said it was a crime against a woman and a Dalit and it was a perfect matter for Parliament to discuss.
Yechury also demanded the resignation of an Akali Dal minister in Punjab. "A standing minister has said that this is the act of God, that there's no crime in it. I think such a minister should not remain in office," he said.
The Congress' demand for President's Rule in Punjab was supported in Parliament by the Left and Bahujan Samaj Party.
Opposition parties have launched an attack on Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal of the Akali Dal and his family, which co-owns Orbit Aviation, the company that runs the bus in which the teen was molested.
The bus driver, conductor and cleaner have been arrested and charged with murder.
The girl's mother was also pushed off the bus by few miscreants. She is now in hospital with severe injuries.
The Opposition has alleged that the staff of the private bus company has for years unleashed a reign of terror on Punjab roads, breaking the law every now and then.
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