'Will not apologise,' says Rahul Gandhi over 'rape in India' remark row

New Delhi, Dec 13: The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on Friday witnessed uproar as BJP lawmakers demanded an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his "rape in India" remark.

Amid the ruckus, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said in the Lower House, "Rahul Gandhi is telling rape in India and it means what? He is asking all the outsiders to come and rape women. Is it right?"

Union Minister Smriti Irani, who defeated the Congress leader in his home bastion Amethi in 2019 Lok Sabha poll, said: "This is the first time in history that a leader is giving a clarion call that Indian women should be raped. Is this Rahul Gandhi's message to the people of the country?"

BJP lawmakers stood and raised slogans demanding an apology from the former Congress president.

In a quick response, Rahul Gandhi said: “I will not apologise. BJP just want to deflect attention from protests in North East.”

Ally DMK's Kanimozhi sided with Gandhi and defended his remark in the House. "PM said 'Make in India', which we respect, but what is happening in country? That is what Rahul Gandhi intended to say. Unfortunately, 'Make in India' is not happening and women in the country are being raped. This is a concern." she said amid pandemonium.

Later, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the proceedings in the Lower House till 12 pm today.

A similar scenario was witnessed in the Upper House with BJP members raising slogans of, "Rahul Gandhi maafi maango" (Rahul Gandhi, apologise)." House Chairman and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, however, quelled the protests by asking members to not disturb the proceedings.

"You cannot take the name of a person who is not a member of this House. Nobody has the business to disturb the House," said Naidu. Soon after, he adjourned the Rajya Sabha till 12 noon.

Addressing a poll rally in Jharkhand on Thursday, Gandhi had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched 'Make in India' but nowadays it is 'Rape in India'.

"Narendra Modi had said 'Make in India' but nowadays wherever you look, it is 'Rape in India'. In Uttar Pradesh Narendra Modi's MLA raped a woman, then she met with an accident but Narendra Modi did not utter a word," he had said.

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Rajdhani Express Derails, 7 elephants killed after collision in Assam

News Network

December 20,2025

At least seven elephants were killed and one calf injured after a herd collided with the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai on Saturday morning, leading to disruption of rail services.

The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express struck a herd of elephants, resulting in the derailment of the locomotive and five coaches. No passenger casualties or injuries were reported, officials said.

The New Delhi-bound train met with the accident around 2.17 am, PTI reported. The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Mizoram's Sairang (near Aizawl) to Anand Vihar Terminal (Delhi).

Railway has issued helpline numbers at the Guwahati Railway Station:-

•   0361-2731621
•   0361-2731622
•   0361-2731623

The accident site is located about 126 km from Guwahati. Following the incident, accident relief trains and railway officials rushed to the spot to initiate rescue operations.

Train Services Disrupted

Sources said that due to the derailment and elephant body parts scattered on the tracks, train services to Upper Assam and other parts of the Northeast were affected.

Passengers from the affected coaches were temporarily accommodated in vacant berths available in other coaches of the train. Once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be attached to accommodate all passengers, after which the train will resume its onward journey.

The incident occurred at a location that is not a designated elephant corridor. The loco pilot, upon spotting the herd on the tracks, applied emergency brakes. Despite this, the elephants dashed into the train, leading to the collision and derailment.

Last month, an elephant was killed after being hit by a train in Dhupguri in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district. The incident took place on November 30.

The adult elephant was killed on the spot, and a calf was discovered lying injured beside the tracks.

Over 70 Elephants Killed In Train Collisions Over Last 5 Years

At least 79 elephants have died in train collisions across the country in the last five years, the Environment Ministry had informed Parliament in August.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh had said the figure is based on reports from state governments and Union Territory administrations for the period 2020-21 to 2024-25.

He said that the ministry does not maintain consolidated data on the deaths of other wild animals on railway tracks, including in designated elephant corridors.

Singh confirmed that three elephants, including a mother and her calf, were killed on July 18 this year after being hit by a speeding express train on the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section in West Bengal's Paschim Midnapore district. The incident took place near Banstala between Jhargram and Banstala stations.

The minister said several measures have been taken jointly by the Environment Ministry and the Railways to prevent such accidents.

These include imposing speed restrictions in elephant habitats, pilot projects such as seismic sensor-based detection of elephants near tracks and construction of underpasses, ramps and fencing at vulnerable points.

The Wildlife Institute of India, in consultation with the ministry and other stakeholders, has also issued guidelines titled 'Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure' to help agencies design railways and other projects in ways that reduce human-animal conflicts.

Singh added that capacity-building workshops were conducted for railway officials at the Wildlife Institute of India in 2023 and 2024 to raise awareness on elephant conservation and protection.

A detailed report titled 'Suggested Measures to Mitigate Elephant & Other Wildlife Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in India' had also been prepared after surveys across 127 railway stretches covering 3,452 km.

Of these, 77 stretches spanning 1,965 km in 14 states were prioritised for mitigation, with site-specific interventions suggested.

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