New Delhi: Amid the ongoing ‘deadlock’ between the Centre and the Opposition at the Parliament, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday accused Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi of “using students to promote his agenda” while saying that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah has already prepared to respond during a “full-fledged discussion” on students’ agitation.
The Opposition has been demanding Union Minister Shah’s response over the alleged police brutality against protesters during the July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ march.
Speaking to reporters after both Houses of the Parliament were again adjourned for the day amid sloganeering by the Opposition MPs, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said: “Yesterday, we had offered that the Union government is ready for a detailed discussion on whatever happened regarding the students’ protest, and we had also prepared the response.”
He alleged that the Opposition “did not allow” the discussion to take place and instead “ran away”.
“The Home Minister (Amit Shah) was also fully prepared to respond to the discussion…We had even said that not just a statement, the government will be willing to do a full-fledged discussion, even if it takes two days. We had also assured to respond to every point which is raised as there are multiple angles to the protest but unfortunately the Congress ran away,” Rijiju said outside the Parliament House.
Echoing similar view, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said: “…The government and the Speaker have been saying for several days that it is ready for a discussion, but the Opposition does not want that; they only want to create a ruckus. They do not want answers; they want chaos, sign petitions, take money meant for the poor, and have no shame.”
Singh also targeted the Congress for the Jharkhand protest.
Accusing Rahul Gandhi of being “double-faced”, he added: “Either withdraw support from the (JMM-led) Jharkhand government, remove Hemant Soren from the Chief Minister’s post, or resign as the Leader of Opposition (in Lok Sabha).”
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya alleged that the Opposition, particularly LoP Gandhi, is “using the students as a front in order to push its agenda”.
“By disrupting Parliament and preventing it from functioning, they are engaging in destructive politics. Rahul Gandhi is doing the same in Jharkhand…certain things are above politics and the students’ issue is the most important of them all, no party should do politics on this,” he told reporters.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi, Surya said: “Stop doing politics as per your convenience and stop using students as fodder for your politics.”
(IANS)
