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Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday stepped up his attack on Amit Shah, demanding a direct answer on who ordered police action against student protesters in the national capital, and stated that the Union Home Minister must "go" regardless of the answer.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Rahul Gandhi said that the Opposition is not interested in listening to Shah's "opinion" and just wanted an answer on who was behind the police crackdown. "Amit Shah does not have the courage to come to the Parliament and stand before us. This is what they have shown in the last 15 days. Neither Narendra Modi nor Amit Shah has the guts...No one is interested in his opinion; we just want to know who ordered the firing, and if he did not order it, then who in MHA ordered it? We want to understand: is there culpability or incompetence?" said Gandhi. Gandhi's remarks came after Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Opposition of stalling parliamentary proceedings, insisting the government was prepared to hold a full debate on the student movement but the Opposition should not disrupt the Home Minister's statement. "The question was never that Mr Amit Shah is going to come and give a speech on some general topics in Parliament. The question was always that Amit Shah has to make it clear who authorised the shooting of our youngsters in Delhi. Pellet guns were fired, students were beaten with lathis with nails on them. He should come clean," Gandhi stated. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha argued that if the Home Minister ordered the police action, he bears direct responsibility for violence against youth, or if he was unaware of it, he is unfit for office and should "go". "Did he order it or did he not order it? If he ordered it, he is guilty of getting our children shot. And if he didn't know about it happening, he's incompetent. Either way, he should go," Gandhi said. The Congress MP further listed three issues the Opposition has been raising since the parliament session began on July 20. "This was the discussion. Second, the Prime Minister apologises for what has happened. And third was the issue of the Ram temple theft. People very close to the Prime Minister have stolen from the Ram Mandir. These are the three issues," he said. Going further, Rahul Gandhi clarified that the opposition was asking for the answer for the police action, not "fantasy conversations" from Shah. "So now Amit Shah suddenly saying that he is ready to speak. We are not interested in his fantasy conversations. We are interested in whether he authorised or didn't authorise the shooting of our children. First, he should make that abundantly clear. After that, the question of any discussion arises. That is the situation. And that is what the opposition is demanding. That is what we have been demanding for the last 15 days." The exchange underscores the deepening standoff between the ruling party and opposition in Parliament, with both sides blaming the other for the deadlock as the Monsoon Session enters its last days. (ANI)
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