India: BJP refuses to spell stand on Section 377; Lekhi supports SC order / Samajwadi Party supports supreme court ruling

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/BJP-refuses-to-spell-stand-on-Section-377-Lekhi-supports-SC-order/articleshow/27261418.cms

BJP refuses to spell stand on Section 377; Lekhi supports SC order
TNN | Dec 13, 2013, 06.02 AM IST

NEW DELHI: While opposition BJP stuck to its non-committal official line on the Supreme Court's verdict on homosexuality, party spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi came out in support of SC's controversial order for restoration of Section 377.

"I welcome the decision of the court because it is important that Section 377 remains. It is not only women who can be exploited and harassed but men also get exploited so there is a need for a law to protect men too," Lekhi said minutes after her senior colleagues, leaders of opposition Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, had refrained from declaring their stand on the issue.

BJP sources sought to distance the party from Lekhi's comments saying she had articulated her personal viewpoint on the matter. The spokesperson, who is also an SC lawyer, emphasized that she had spoken in her individual capacity, but her statement trained the spotlight on the unpreparedness of the party to take up cudgels publicly for the LGBT community.

Its PM candidate Narendra Modi has kept quiet on the issue, refusing to be baited by opponents like Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha who taunted him for staying silent.

The reticence contrasts starkly with Congress's vocal stand against the SC order, as well as that of AAP which overcame its initial diffidence to criticize the revival of Section 377.

Speaking against the backdrop of the support of fellow saffron outfits like the VHP for the SC order on restoration of Section 377, Swaraj said, "Supreme Court has also said Parliament can legislate on this issue. Government can call an all-party meeting and we will tell our view there on the issue after seeing the government proposal."

She also said it was not enough for the UPA chairperson to express disappointment over the verdict, and expressed hope that the matter will be brought to Parliament shortly.

Meanwhile, speaking to TOI, Lekhi said she saw the outrage over the SC order as a perfect case of "much ado about nothing". People are little informed about the criminal law process and how it gets activated, she said, adding, "You need a complainant or victim for that. Unless someone lodges a complaint, the police cannot do anything about it."

As for soliciting for sex in a public space, it is punishable by law in any case, whether it is between men and women or between same sex people, she elaborated.

2.)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SP-against-any-move-to-amend-Section-377/articleshow/27267050.cms?intenttarget=no

NEW DELHI: The Samajwadi Party on Thursday said it would oppose any amendments to Section 377 if it came to Parliament for discussion.

Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said, "Homosexuality is unethical and immoral, it is against the culture of the country and we will fight it."