Uproar in House over rape slur against min

The Opposition on Monday staged a walkout in the State Assembly over the complaint of an alleged rape filed by a woman from Sangli against a Minister of State in the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led Cabinet.

After the Opposition raised the issue, Fadnavis informed the House that the woman concerned has given a statement explaining that her complaint was nothing but a matter of misunderstanding.

It was NCP's Ajit Pawar who said the woman had alleged that the minister raped her by threatening her that there was a case against her involving Rs 6 lakh.

When the Opposition members came back to the House, Fadnavis said: "The issue has been sorted out now. The woman has given a statement which I would place on the record of the House."

According to the CM, the woman has given a statement in Sangli in which she made it clear that she had a dispute with one Prashant Jadhav, and since she felt that the minister concerned was helping Jadhav, she complained against the minister.

Fadnavis also told the House that the statement by the woman was given in front of a woman police officer and social workers and that the issue was now over.

Former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan immediately rose and demanded that if the said woman has made false complaint against a minister of state, there needs to be some action against her.