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Uproar in Assembly over alleged rape

Special Correspondent

Probe demanded into Minister's `involvement' in the incident; Opposition told provide evidence to support their charge

JAIPUR: Opposition Congress members disrupted the proceedings of the Rajasthan Assembly on the opening day of the monsoon session on Monday by creating a ruckus over allegations of gang-rape against a Cabinet Minister and his associates. The House was adjourned thrice amid the pandemonium that obstructed Question hour

The Congress MLAs, led by C.P. Joshi and the Leader of Opposition, B.D. Kalla, demanded that an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation be instituted to find out the truth behind the allegations and the Minister concerned be asked not to attend the Assembly until his name was cleared. The allegations were made in a news report carried in a local Hindi daily on September 21.

As soon as the House assembled for Question Hour, the Congress members raised the issue and pointed out that the news report -- carried in the same daily again with more details on Monday -- had clearly indicted the Minister for his alleged role in the "sex scandal'' during the stay of Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs from Jharkhand here in June this year.

The Opposition charge evoked a volley of protests by the Treasury members. Almost all the Ministers were on their feet taking exception to the accusation and affirmed that it had no basis.

The Speaker, Sumitra Singh, advised the Opposition to raise the issue by taking recourse to the rules of business.

The Home Minister, Gulab Chand Kataria, said police had already conducted an investigation into the allegations followed by recording of statements of the individuals concerned, even though no first information report had been registered, and found the charge untenable.

He asked the Opposition to provide evidence to support their charge, while promising a fresh probe.

When the Congress members persisted with their demand and cited precedents when the CBI inquiry had been launched in the cases relating to Ministers, the Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, intervened to assert that if the Opposition had some tangible evidence, it would have raised the issue through the proper procedure instead of indulging in an uproar.

"The fact that they are not allowing the Assembly to function normally proves that they have no material with them to make their point. They just want to crate pandemonium and plunge the House into disorder to embarrass the Government,'' Ms. Raje said.

The agitated Congress members were provoked by Ms. Raje's remark and all of them trooped into the well raising slogans against the BJP-led Government. The Speaker conducted the business of tabling of a Bill and other papers amid the din

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