New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government on Thursday hit back at Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge after the Congress President alleged that the government had ordered a cane charge on protesting students and accused the Centre of priotising politics over students’ futures.
Participating in a debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the Upper House, Kharge said that the Delhi Police and the CRPF fall under the direct jurisdiction of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asserting that such action could not have taken place without the approval of the Home Ministry.
“You’re sitting inside a room, without being answerable to anything, but we will bring you out,” the Rajya Sabha LoP Kharge said, insisting that the Home Minister could not evade responsibility.
Responding to Kharge’s remarks, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said: ”Kharge did not speak about the bill at all. Instead, he used abusive language…saying things like, ‘I will drag him here’.
Launching a harsh criticism, Union Minister and Republican Party of India (Athawale) Chief Ramdas Athawale said: “Mallikarjun Kharge ji should not worry about saving our chair…he should in fact focus on protecting his own position as the Congress President. Our (NDA) government has a clear majority, and there is no need for us to worry about saving our chair.”
Reacting to Kharge’s accusation over the police action against agitators, Athawale added: “Whatever accusations he (Kharge) is making are baseless.”
The RPI (A) Chief also responded to Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the House on Wednesday, saying: “Even I can say that a student was telling that the Congress party is a ‘great fool’…I don’t know if any student really met him or not.”
This comes after certain remarks made by LoP Rahul Gandhi drew protests from the Treasury benches during the debate in the Lower House on Wednesday.
The word was later expunged from the Parliament records.
“It is not right to use that word…(Union Minister) Kiren Rijiju thrice got up and told him not to use unparliamentary words and stop making baseless allegations, that is why there was an uproar from our (Treasure bench) side,” Athawale told IANS.
The Union Minister advised Rahul Gandhi to maintain the dignity of his position as the Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition.
Athawale added: “Everybody has the right to speak, Kharge ji spoke for so long (in Rajya Sabha), who opposed him? But false allegations should not be made.”
Echoing similar view regarding the Congress President’s remarks in the Rajya Sabha, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said: “Only Kharge ji knows what he is saying now. Our (NDA) government has taken all the necessary steps from time to time. The government showed great restraint throughout the matter, which everyone has seen, heard, and understood. Therefore, I think whatever Kharge ji says is meaningless.”
(IANS)
