The nation has been in a giant uproar since the brutal gang rape and murder of a young doctor in Hyderabad. Social media platforms have been buzzing with hashtags, calling everyone to fight for justice. Samajwadi Party MP and actor Jaya Bachchan’s statement in Rajya Sabha earlier today has fueled the discussion and has received mixed public reactions.
“It may sound a little harsh, but these types of people (the rape accused) need to be brought out in public and lynched,” said Bachchan. She also took a dig at the government and said, “Those who failed to provide security and those who committed the crime should be exposed in public.”
While some of the reactions are in favour of the statement, the rest are not. Those on her side have praised her for being a strong voice in the Parliament and showed their full support to her statement. Singer Shweta Pandit agreed with the statement and said, “Lynching is the right answer if the victim has been gang-raped/killed in brutality. No second thoughts.”
But the ones who found Bachchan’s statement ‘not appropriate’ have called her out for her hypocrisy. One twitter user pointed out that her party leader, SP supremo Mulayam Singh’s Yadav made a statement in 2014 saying, “Ladke, ladke hain, galti ho jati hai (boys will be boys, they commit mistakes).
The actor is also being severely criticized by those who don't see mob justice as a viable solution.
Other strong reactions included those by Rashtriya Janata Dal's Manoj Kumar Jha, RK Sinha of the BJP and AIADMK MP Vijila Sathyanath who broke down during her speech. As MPs in both houses of parliament expressed their anger, Union Minister Rajnath Singh also addressed the house and said that the government is ‘willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that the most stringent rules be implemented’.
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