The road crash that left the Unnao rape survivor critically injured and killed two of her aunts caused uproar in the Lok Sabha. Opposition members put the government on the defensive, insisting that the Home Minister reply in the House.

Uproar over the Unnao crash

The BJP said it was wrong to turn the incident into a political issue. It in turn targeted the Samajwadi Party, claiming that the truck involved in the crash belonged to one of that party’s leaders.

Triple Talaq Bill in the Upper House

The Rajya Sabha was expected to see a heated session as the government sought to pass the Triple Talaq Bill, which makes the practice a criminal offence. The Opposition has described the bill as discriminatory, while the government maintains it advances gender equality and justice. The Congress and the Trinamool Congress are among the parties that have fiercely opposed it.

The Lok Sabha has already approved the bill by a voice vote, after members of the Congress, the SP, the Trinamool Congress, the DMK and others walked out. The legislation had cleared the Lok Sabha once before, in the 16th Lok Sabha, but it failed to get through the Upper House.

Reaching out for numbers

Before the bill was tabled, a minimum of four Union ministers, along with two senior members of the Rajya Sabha, were reported to have spoken to Opposition parties, and to some alliance partners who had expressed reservations about the measure.

According to sources, some MPs of the Nationalist Congress Party, the Samajwadi Party and the Telugu Desam Party might abstain, while members of the BJP’s ally, the Janata Dal (United), were also likely to stay away. The BJP issued a whip directing its MPs to be present in the House.

See also: Samajwadi Party and Janata Dal (United).

Originally published on 30 July 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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