NEW DELHI: Before the discussion on the anti-rape bill began in Lok Sabha , a wag in Parliament predicted the debate could establish new standards in bizarre debating points.

He wasn't off the mark as although the Criminal Law Amendment Bill found overwhelming support, it was at times hard to distinguish whether MPs were actually backing the legislation or opposing it.

BJP's Bhola Singh set the bar high as the main opposition's first speaker, dwelling on mythological tales that all seemed to emphasize a woman's subservience in her roles as mother and wife.

His blaming western influences for rising crime against women seemed par for the course as he went on to define a woman's primary task as one of ensuring succession or procreation of the human race.

Singh seemed oblivious to protests his remarks evoked and perhaps saw himself as mindful of women's rights when he said the arrival of a daughter was no cause for joy in most households.

From birth till marriage, girls were not celebrated, the BJP MP said even as leader of opposition Sushma Swaraj was seen leaving the House. Singh, who was just warming up, referred to the lives of Buddha and Lord Krishna to advance his arguments.

If BJP scored a self goal, Congress did much better, fielding Sandeep Dikshit who did a competent job of analyzing the bill and its clauses dealing with voyeurism and stalking that he said were major problems faced by women.

Janata Dal (U)'s Sharad Yadav soon improved on the Bhola Singh line of thought, saying the bill's clauses on stalking or following a woman needed further elaboration. Everyone knew, he said, that one needs to follow one's object of desire a few times before she responds.

He then turned to item numbers like 'Sheila ki jawani', which he said acted as incitement. "We are men," he announced, somewhat superfluously. He then said tough laws on crimes against women would see less of them being hired.

The theme that laws can't change society was echoed by RJD's Lalu Prasad while Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav predicted that prisons would soon be overflowing with offenders held under the new legislation.

"I didn't intend to speak as I might end up saying a lot…" Mulayam said, responding to Sharad Yadav's jibe that the SP boss had been intimidated by likely criticism. The laws being proposed will mean the end of coeducational schools, Mulayam said grimly.

It was left to Shiv Sena MP Anant Geete to break the mould, who apart from a mild criticism of Valentine's day, said the law should help promote genuine equality between men and women.

BJD's Pinaki Mishra demanded tougher sentencing for acid attacks, a view that found support from other parties like BJP, Akali Dal and Trinamool Congress.

BJP's Saroj Pandey countered the view expressed by some MPs that the proposed laws will be misused, saying the truth was that women remained highly disadvantaged in their social settings. Congress's Priya Dutt also pointed out that assaults against women were a daily happening in most states.

The debate also saw a large consensus in support of the decision to retain 18 as the age of consent with most MPs interpreting the move to lower it as an encouragement to pre-marital and teenage sex. Dikshit was a rare voice to say that consensual sexual relations in the 16-18 age group should not be criminalized.