Congress MP Pawan Khera on Tuesday demanded that the Union Home Minister make a statement in Parliament over the recent developments involving students, alleging that the government was avoiding discussion on the issue.
“…The Home Minister considers it a very big deal to come to the House and give a statement on what has happened or is happening to the coming generations of this country… Whether it’s stealing donations or stealing the future of the youth, both are important issues. If you want to run the House, then come and address this,” Khera told ANI.
Referring to the Assembly by-election results, Khera said, “…One thing is common: the BJP had to face defeat in both places (Datia and Bankipur). The BJP is in government in both states…. What is in the people’s minds is that they have given a vote of no confidence…”
CPI(M) MP John Brittas also questioned the absence of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister from Parliament.
“We don’t understand why the Prime Minister and the Home Minister do not come to the Parliament… The opposition has been demanding only a statement from the Home Minister. So many things happened in the capital city, with police being accused of using heinous methods in crashing the students. We just wanted to have a statement from the Home Minister as to what has actually happened and the steps he has taken,” Brittas said.
Referring to the Bankipur by-election result, Brittas said, “Now the by-election in Bankipur has given a decisive message to the government. You cannot take the people for granted… The shift that has happened… A message has been given to the BJP. We hope that they will read the message.”
Earlier, Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah come to Parliament and present the government’s position on the recent student protest crackdown and alleged “missing funds.”
Speaking to ANI, Kharge said, “We want the Prime Minister and the Home Minister to come to the House and present their views. What do they have to say? There is the issue of the missing funds. What is their position on it?”Targeting the government over its handling of the July 20 student protest at Jantar Mantar, Kharge said, “Students were beaten, pellet guns were used, tear gas was fired, and every possible measure was taken against them. Why did this happen? For what reason? Both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister should take responsibility and make statements in the House.”
The opposition has been on an offensive against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging the lathi-charge and use of pellet guns by Delhi Police against protesters during the July 20 march led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP).
Meanwhile, Jan Suraaj Party president Prashant Kishore had defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar by a margin of 19324 votes, as per the Election Commission of India.
The BJP’s loss, which comes close on the heels of intense youth-led protests over exam paper leaks and rising unemployment, signals a shifting political wind across the Hindi heartland, exposing vulnerable fault lines in the BJP’s traditional strongholds.
Simultaneously, in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia, the Congress retained the key seat after defeating the BJP by over 6,000 votes.