Will not apologise for 'rape in India' remark: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday refused to apologise for his 'Rape in India' remark after the Lok Sabha witnessed an uproar on his comments.

Rahul Gandhi had said that the country was moving from 'Make in India' to 'Rape in India' during a public rally in Jharkhand on Thursday. Interestingly, the protests against Rahul Gandhi come in days after Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury made the same statement in the house.

The Congress leader who was unapologetic about his  comments, alleged that the BJP MPs were merely trying to distract the public from more pressing issues like Citizenship Amendment Act and economy's status.

In a tweet, Congress leader demanded the Indian PM's apology on three issues- CAB, economy and his old speech calling Delhi a 'rape capital'.

"There was a time when we read in the newspapers about PM Modi's flagship project 'Make in India'. But all we read nowadays is about rapes," he said.

He also accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of remaining silent on the Unnao rape case in which a former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was a prime accused.

Smriti Irani leads BJP protest in Lok Sabha

“For the first time in the history of the country, a member of the Gandhi family was inviting one to come and rape women in India',” BJP Minister Smriti Irani said in the Lok Sabha while leading the protest against Gandhi.

"Does Rahul Gandhi think every man in the country is a rapist?" she added.

The BJP MPs demanded for an apology from Rahul Gandhi for his remark. Home Minister Rajnath Singh also slammed Gandhi for his remarks.

Meanwhile, DMK MP Kanimozhi said that Gandhi's comment was not an invitation for raping women in India but a mere statement on the status quo. "Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' is a wonderful initiative. But unfortunately this country is currently witnessing rapes across the country making it appear like 'Rape in India'," she added.

A few days ago, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had raised the Unnao rape case in Lok Sabha, saying the country was gradually moving towards "rape in India" from "make in India".

Speaking during the Zero Hour, Chowdhury said there have been many incidents in the past -- from Kathua to Unnao -- where women or girls have been gangraped and killed.

A 23-year-old rape victim in Unnao was recently set ablaze by five men. She succumbed to injuries in Delhi's Safdarjung hospital.  

"I feel ashamed when I hear such incidents. We are gradually moving towards 'rape in India' from 'make in India'," he said, taking a dig at the NDA government's slogan of 'Make in India' to promote industries in the country.

Chowdhury also claimed that no senior leader of the government has spoken on the issue so far.

Several BJP members tried to counter the Congress leader by raising an incident of alleged gangrape of a girl in Chhattisgarh, a Congress-ruled state.