New Delhi, 30 July— Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s troubles appear to be growing with every passing day as Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke today joined Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in demanding Shah’s resignation, alleging that the July 20 police excesses during the Parliament march against examination irregularities were carried out on his instructions.
In a parallel development Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said: “They are firing pellet guns at children who have come from villages and other states. One has lost an eye, another has lost an ear, someone else has lost a hand. Who is responsible for that? The Home Minister is responsible”.
Kharge was referring to the alleged police excesses against protesters, which also comprised students, during the Jantar Mantar agitation against NEET paper leak on July 20. Opposition MPs, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, have accused Shah of issuing orders to the security personnel to use lethal force against the protesters.
“You (Shah) may be listening to me from behind closed doors, but you cannot remain hidden in a closed room forever. One day, we will drag you out,” he said.
Earlier, Dipke said that the way students were attacked, and their blood was shed while they were protesting, could not have happened without Shah’s orders”.
Dipke’s demand came a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Shah of ordering the crackdown on the protesters and demanded his resignation. He said he seconded Gandhi. “I also believe that he [Shah] should resign.”
He dismissed the allegations that CJP received foreign funding. “If we are receiving foreign funds despite Shah being at the helm of the home ministry, then it is also his failure. What kind of Chanakya are you then? In that case, he [Shah] should also resign.”
Dipke alleged that the Delhi Police orchestrated stone-throwing to justify action against the protesters. He added that the police brought a truckload of stones and a damaged vehicle to Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protest site on July 20 to create the impression that the crackdown was a response to violence.
“The Delhi Police orchestrated the stone-throwing. BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] goons arrived, threw stones, and students were blamed.”
Dipke accused BJP members of threatening him and his family to pressure him into joining the party. “I was threatened. My parents were also threatened to coerce me into joining the BJP. They told us to either join the party or face consequences.”
BJP leader Keshav Upadhye attacked Dipke, saying he should join the Congress if he wanted to follow Gandhi’s line. “He was the face of a protest. It was the BJP government that accepted his demands by bringing in the bill against paper leaks and accepting [Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan]’s resignation. He should have respected that, but instead he is indulging in politics. If he wants to follow Rahul Gandhi’s line, then he should join the Congress.” The BJP denied claims that Dipke or his family members were threatened.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
