Don't run away: Rijiju to Rahul as Shah ready to reply in Parliament

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju urged Rahul Gandhi not to 'run away' from a Parliament discussion, as Home Minister Amit Shah is set to respond to the Opposition's questions regarding recent student protests and police action.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday hit out at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, saying he should not "run away" from Parliament now that Home Minister Amit Shah is ready to respond to the questions raised by him.

Rijiju's remarks came amid the ongoing confrontation between the government and the Opposition over the recent student protests and the police action against demonstrators. The issue has led to repeated disruptions in Parliament, with the Opposition demanding answers from the government and Rahul Gandhi seeking a response from Shah.

The government has now offered a debate on the issue, with the Home Minister set to respond. In a post on social media, Rijiju said Rahul Gandhi had been demanding a response from Amit Shah for several days. He argued that since Shah was now prepared to answer the questions in detail, the Congress leader should remain present and participate in the discussion.

"Rahul Gandhi demanded a response from Home Minister Shri Amit Shah ji for days. Now that the Home Minister is ready to answer every point in detail, he must not run away," Rijiju said. He further added that he has repeatedly asked Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha to face Shah directly in Parliament and raise all the issues he wanted answers to on the floor of the House.

Opposition Rejects Offer, Demands Answers

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister's comments come as the government attempts to break the deadlock that has affected proceedings during the ongoing Monsoon Session. The Centre has offered a full-fledged discussion, with Shah expected to give the government's response after the discussion. However, LoP in the Lok Sabha has rejected attempts by the Government to buy peace and ensure conduct of the house.

'Not interested in his opinion': Rahul Gandhi

On Monday, Rahul Gandhi said that the Opposition is not interested in listening to Shah's "opinion" and just wanted an answer on who was behind the police crackdown. "Amit Shah does not have the courage to come to the Parliament and stand before us. This is what they have shown in the last 15 days. Neither Narendra Modi nor Amit Shah has the guts...No one is interested in his opinion; we just want to know who ordered the firing, and if he did not order it, then who in MHA ordered it? We want to understand: is there culpability or incompetence?" said Gandhi.

The government has maintained that it is ready to discuss the matter in Parliament. The offer of a debate followed days of disruptions, with proceedings repeatedly affected by the standoff between the ruling side and Opposition parties.

The exchange is also likely to intensify the political confrontation between the BJP-led government and the opposition, with both sides accusing each other of avoiding accountability. The focus will now be on whether the proposed discussion and Shah's response can help end the parliamentary deadlock. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)