BJP MP Sambit Patra has termed Rahul Gandhi’s claims on student protests as false and challenged him to present evidence of the firing. At the same time, Rahul Gandhi accused Home Minister Amit Shah of cruelty and demanded his resignation and said that he will not apologize.
New Delhi [भारत]July 29 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Wednesday accused opposition leader Rahul Gandhi of misrepresenting facts and misleading the public over the recent protests and claims about student safety. Sambit Patra criticized Rahul Gandhi for publicizing unverified claims of firing on students and challenged critics to produce physical evidence of any ammunition used.
Sambit Patra surrounded Rahul Gandhi
Addressing a press conference, Sambit Patra pointed out inconsistencies in the opposition’s stance and demanded evidence for their claims. Patra said, “I heard what Rahul Gandhi said again in the House and claimed that students were fired upon and the Home Minister gave the order. The BJP held a press conference to clarify that no bullets were fired. If you have any cartridges, show them. Changing the goalposts is an old habit of Rahul Gandhi.”
Sambit Patra further challenged and sharply criticized Rahul Gandhi, while also rejecting the opposition narrative regarding the Home Ministry’s directives and highlighting the history of legal immunity on political comments. He said, “Rahul Gandhi called a press conference and once again tried to distort the facts. Regarding the ‘chowkidar’ comment, the Supreme Court had forced him to apologise; while he does not apologize here, he goes to the court and apologises.”
Rahul Gandhi hits back, demands Amit Shah’s resignation
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi demanded the removal of Home Minister Amit Shah over police action against protesters during the ‘Parliament March’ on July 20, alleging that he is “either guilty or incompetent” and in both cases “he has to go”.
Addressing a press conference hours after his speech in the Lok Sabha, during which the BJP had raised objections to his comments, Rahul Gandhi stuck to his allegations against the Home Minister. He also demanded an independent investigation into the actions of Delhi Police under the supervision of the Supreme Court. Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi alleged that he was not allowed to speak in the House. “The Leader of the Opposition (himself) is not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha. I asked the Speaker several times to make order in the House so that I could speak… but I was not allowed… the pretext was that I said something about Amit Shah, that he was responsible for the brutality committed… I was assured that if I apologise, I would be allowed to speak. I will never apologize to the BJP, the RSS or anyone else associated with them,” he said.
‘Students were fired upon with pellet guns’
He said that pellet guns were fired at the protesting students and claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was responsible for “brutality” against the protesters. “(The protesting students) were fired upon with pellet guns. A boy who has been shot with a pellet gun is likely to lose his eyesight and may not be able to see. I have seen the medical certificate from AIIMS which shows that he was shot with a pellet gun. Shock batons were used, not just the normal lathis, the ones with spikes. Where did the police get this idea from?” He asked.
“My point is that where our students, who are open-minded people, ask questions, they are brutally beaten on the streets of Delhi. They are shot with pellet guns… I have seen the medical certificate, the medical certificate from AIIMS… You can see a police officer slapping a minor… The brutal repression of our students is a fundamental issue… Bajrang Dal is being mobilized against them to scare them. So that they don’t do this kind of thing again…”
Rahul Gandhi said that as the leader of the opposition, it is his right to raise issues important for the country. The Congress MP said, “For me, the most important issue today is the following: the issue where our students, who are open-minded and ask questions, were brutally beaten on the streets of Delhi.”
The Congress leader repeated his allegations made outside the House. Gandhi had said, “There can be two possible scenarios. One is that the Home Minister issued the order. The second is that the Home Minister was not aware that the firing would take place. In the first case, he is guilty; in the second, he is incompetent – one of the two has to happen; there is no third option.”
Lok Sabha passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 after a lengthy debate and heated exchanges. (ANI)
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