Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday rejected Union home minister Amit Shah’s call for a debate in Parliament over the police crackdown on protesting students, saying the youth “don't want to listen” to him and demanding his resignation.
“Who gave the order to shoot the students? Delhi Police and RAF come under Home Ministry. Did Amit Shah give the order? If he did, he is culpable, if he didn't, he is incompetent. In both cases, he should resign,” Rahul Gandhi said.
He also accused the government of having no answers on the issue and claimed that it was “scared” of facing questions in Parliament. Gandhi’s response came shortly after Shah challenged the Opposition to allow a discussion on the matter, promising to respond to every question after the debate.
“Let's start the debate from 3 pm today. I will sit in the House and will give a detailed reply at 3 pm on Thursday,” Amit Shah said. The home minister, facing sustained Opposition criticism over the July 20 police action against protesting students in Delhi, said parliamentary rules did not allow him to simply make a statement on such a serious issue. “There are rules of discussion in Parliament. I can't just give a statement on such a crucial issue. Let the debate happen and I will give a detailed response,” Shah said.
Amit Shah accused the Opposition of deliberately preventing Parliament from functioning while demanding that he speak on the issue. He also rejected claims that he had been avoiding the House. “I am here every day in my chamber. I don't go inside the House as Opposition is not letting it function,” he said.
The Union Home Minister also objected to Opposition leaders describing him as “bhagoda” and “lapata”, and gave them until 3pm to agree to the proposed debate, reiterating that he was prepared to answer all their questions. The Opposition has been demanding accountability over the July 20 crackdown on students in Delhi, with Rahul Gandhi repeatedly asking who authorised the use of force and pellet guns against the protesters.
