Govt suppressing debate, shielding leadership on student issue: SP MP

SP MP Pushpendra Saroj accuses the government of suppressing parliamentary debate on police action against students, stating Rahul Gandhi was interrupted while questioning who ordered the action and that the PM and Home Minister were absent.

Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Pushpendra Saroj has accused the government of deliberately suppressing parliamentary debate and shielding top leadership from answering questions regarding police action against students. Speaking to ANI, Saroj stated that Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, faced repeated interruptions during his address as he attempted to raise urgent matters concerning youth and student safety.

"Rahul Gandhi faced repeated interruptions during his speech. He wanted to ask who wielded the lathis and who issued the orders," Saroj said. He criticised the absence of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in the House to address the Opposition's queries, claiming that a ministerial response was hastily arranged instead. "Neither the Home Minister nor the Prime Minister came to the House; we wanted answers from them. Instead, a reply was hastily provided by a minister. The House was adjourned at 3 PM; time could have been allocated for a discussion until 6 PM, but the government does not want a discussion to take place," he said.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat also backed Gandhi's stance, emphasising that he was merely fulfilling his duty to voice student grievances. "Rahul Gandhi is the Leader of the Opposition. He wanted to voice the students' concerns. Amidst the entire sequence of events, he sought an answer regarding the brutal action taken against the students, specifically, whose responsibility it was. To this end, he asked Home Minister Amit Shah, who had issued the order. If he did not issue the order and is unaware of the matter, then he is incompetent for lacking such information," he said.

'Amit Shah Either Culpable or Incompetent': Rahul Gandhi

Earlier on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi said Union Home Minister Amit Shah was either "culpable or incompetent" over the police action during the July 20 student protests, asserting that the Home Minister must explain his role in Parliament.

Speaking to reporters after the Lok Sabha was adjourned, Rahul Gandhi said there were only two possible explanations for the alleged action on student protesters at Jantar Mantar on July 20.

"There can be two possible scenarios. One is that the Home Minister issued the order. The second is that the Home Minister was unaware that firing would take place. In the first case, he is culpable; in the second, he is incompetent--it has to be one of the two; there is no third possibility," Gandhi said. "If the Home Minister didn't even know that shots were being fired, it means he is incompetent; otherwise, if he ordered it, he is culpable," he added. (ANI)

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