New Delhi, 10 August— In a cunning move to project the unrelenting Opposition negatively in the public eyes, Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju today put unprecedented conditions saying that the government is ready for a debate in the Lok Sabha on the student protests as well as police action and Union home minister Amit Shah will also reply to the debate but the Opposition should give an assurance that they will not run away from it and listen peacefully.
While Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked why Shah was not making a statement on the police crackdown against students during their march to Parliament on July 20 and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was making reels on Instagram instead of coming to the House, Rijiju skirted the main demand of making a statement saying Union Home Minister will reply to the debate on behalf of the government, a key demand of the Opposition to break the deadlock in the House.
Amid continuing deadlock in the Parliament, Rijiju said: “We have made it clear to the BAC (Business Advisory Committee) of the Lok Sabha that the government is ready for a detailed discussion on the students and youth agitations that have been going on in different parts of the country as well as police action. The home minister will reply to the debate on behalf of the government,”
Talking to reporters after the BAC meeting in the Parliament House complex, the minister, however, sought assurance from the Opposition parties that they will allow the House to function, won’t stage a walkout after creating ruckus and would listen to the home minister’s reply.
This comes hours after the Jharkhand police resorted to lathicharge and fired tear gas shells on protesting students in Ranchi during their Vidhan Sabha gherao.
For the unversed, Jharkhand is ruled by the Congress-JMM alliance and police crackdown on peaceful protestors has given the BJP an edge to counter the selective outrage of the Opposition parties on students’ agitation.
The Jharkhand students have been protesting against alleged irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations.
While the state government has accepted most of their demands, including the cancellation of three JPSC exams, consensus could not be reached on CBI probe.
The students have insisted that they don’t trust the state government agency and want a through investigation by the CBI into the alleged irregularities.
Earlier Kharge said: “We want a debate. Why do they [the government] not want to debate? They give a statement on other issues; why are they not giving a statement on this issue? We are only asking for a statement”.
“They do not have a reply to this and the House is not able to function because of them, the government is responsible, Prime Minister Modi is responsible, home minister Shah is responsible.
“For the past 17 days, we have been trying to get Amit Shah to come to the House and make a statement on the injustice and atrocities committed against the children,” he said.
Instead of coming to the House to answer, Prime Minister Modi was making reels on Instagram at night, Kharge said, and asked why the PM was “ignoring” Parliament.
This is an “insult” to the MPs and also to the people, he said, alleging that the PM and the home minister do not want to run the House smoothly.
“Why are these people so afraid of coming to the House? It means they know they have done something wrong,” Kharge charged.
The Modi government neither wants to solve the problems of the people nor provide solutions to students and the youth, he said.
We are demanding that either come to the House and make a statement or if they don’t want to make a statement in the House, then resign,” he said.
Kharge accused Modi and Shah of running the government from home.
Modi-Shah sit in rooms and listen to everything and they instruct their people that as soon as the Opposition stands up to speak, create chaos in the House, Kharge claimed.
“With great sorrow, I must say that the chairman in the Rajya Sabha doesn’t even let us raise our voices. He says he will give me time, I sit down trusting him, and then they adjourn the House. This is not good,” he said.
The Opposition has been demanding in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha a statement from Shah on the alleged police excesses during the July 20 student protest over the paper leak issue.
Both Houses of Parliament have remained deadlocked, with the Opposition refusing to relent. Most of the legislative business is being conducted amid din.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
