Rajnath passes buck to states on lynching, Opposition walks out
Condemning the lynching incidents across India, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today passed the onus of it on state governments prompting a walkout by Opposition leaders in Lok Sabha. In the ongoing monsoon session of the Parliament, the veteran BJP leader said state governments should 'take action' against lynching incidents. It shouldn't be forgotten that 21 states of India are ruled by BJP.
It's not like lynching didn't happen before, claims Rajnath Singh
The Home Minister said fake news, spread through social media, triggered these lynching incidents and that local bodies should take steps to curb it. "It's not like lynching has been happening only in the last few years, they have happened before too," Singh reportedly said. Boasting of steps undertaken, Singh said the MHA issued advisories in 2016 and also in July's first week.
It's not ping-ping game, Tharoor tells after Rajnath Singh's comments
While Singh sort of washed Centre's hands in lynching incidents, Opposition leaders staged a walkout. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said Singh's response on mob lynching wasn't satisfactory. "This is not a game of ping-pong that states and Centre keep shifting responsibilities," Tharoor apparently told ANI as he justified the walkout. Notably, the numerous incidents of mob lynching were condemned by Supreme Court earlier this week.
Earlier, SC directed Parliament to enact law against mob-lynchings
Condemning violence of the mob, Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Parliament to draft a law to deal with it. Further, the top court listed preventive and punitive steps to curb the crime which is threatening the social fabric of the country. Notably, the day SC spoke about lynching, spiritual leader Swami Agnivesh was attacked by BJP workers in Jharkhand.
Meanwhile, NDA stares at no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha
While the Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoped for a fruitful monsoon session, a no-confidence motion was moved against the NDA by Congress, TDP and NCP. The motion was accepted by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and will be up for discussion on Friday. Reacting on this, minister Anant Kumar said the Opposition may have lost faith in the current government, but people of India haven't.
Meanwhile, Relief for BJP: Shiv Sena decides to support NDA
Shiv Sena (which has a love-hate relationship with BJP) has decided to vote against the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha tomorrow. This comes after reports that BJP President Amit Shah dialled Uddhav Thackeray seeking his support.
