New Delhi: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday sought to sidestep debate offer from the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and reiterated his charge that the latter must take accountability for ordering firing at the protesting students.
Speaking to the media at Parliament premises, he said that the Opposition is not interested in Home Minister’s “imagination or lectures”, stating that the young generation wants to know who gave orders to “shoot” at them.
His remarks come soon after Home Minister offered debate on the students stir at Jantar Mantar, adding that he was “ready to answer everything” regarding the police action against students during the July 20 Parliament march over the NEET paper leak issue.
Rahul said, “Kharge ji and I have held press conferences, and the other Opposition parties have also made it clear that we are not interested in listening to Amit Shah’s imagination; we are not interested in him giving us a lecture. We are interested in one simple thing; and when we say ‘we’, we mean the younger generation of this country, — Who shot those students? Who blinded one of the students? Who gave the order to beat the students with lathis?”
The Congress MP apparently lost his cool when questioned by the media persons over Home Minister’s debate offer and asked why they don’t find the courage to interrupt the Home Minister.
He also took a ‘mouse’ jibe at the media, claiming that the questions are only posed to the Opposition and never to the ministers and government.
“You keep interrupting us, always. Do you interrupt them when he speaks? Why don’t you ask questions to him? The whole media stands before him like a mouse,” Rahul claimed.
“Students are not frightened, you also must not be fearful,” he added.
Rahul further stated that the Delhi Police comes under the control of the Home Ministry and hence, HM Shah should take the responsibility for the action against the students.
“Did Mr Amit Shah give this order to shoot our children or did he not? If he did, then he should resign because he is culpable. And if he did not, he should resign because he is incompetent,” the LoP said.
“He was absent for 20 days. He used to come here (on the Parliament premises). Thirty cars around Amit Shah. You go near his home, there will be 1000 police officials to ensure no student wanders in,” Gandhi further claimed.
“Amit Shah has no courage. The Home Minister of India has no courage; he cannot come to the House,” he added.
The Opposition has been raising questions over Shah’s absence from the House and sought a statement on the police action against students who participated in the protest march. The standoff has led to repeated disruptions.
Speaking to reporters on the Parliament premises, Home Minister Shah hit back at the Opposition over allegations that he was avoiding Parliament and said that he had been regularly attending the ongoing Monsoon Session.
HM Shah said that Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had already made it clear that the government was prepared to hold a detailed discussion on the protests by students. He said the government had accepted the Opposition’s original demand for a discussion and maintained that he himself had made it clear that he was prepared to answer questions on the matter in Parliament.
(IANS)
