Why is Home Minister running away from Parliament?: KC Venugopal

Congress MP KC Venugopal accused the Centre of avoiding discussions on public issues like student protests and Ram Mandir donation theft. He questioned why Home Minister Amit Shah is 'running away from Parliament' and demanded his accountability.

Centre not ready to discuss public issues: Congress

Congress MP KC Venugopal on Wednesday said that the Centre was not ready to discuss public issues being raised by the opposition, including the "brutal assault" of protesting students by Delhi police and the "Chanda Chori (donation theft)" at Ayodhya's Ram Mandir. He said that the government doesn't intend to run the Parliament.

"Why is the Home Minister running away from Parliament?" Venugopal told reporters here, adding that the solution to end the deadlock in carrying out Parliamentary proceedings must be given by the government. He also demanded accountability from the government and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the July 20 police action against protestors at Jantar Mantar and the use of "AK-47" during student protests in Bihar.

"The government is not listening to the voice of the people of this country. They are not listening to the voice of the opposition, which reflects the voice of the people. Why is the Home Minister running away from Parliament? There is no answer. A solution has to be given by the government. We are raising the issue. Students have been brutally assaulted by the Delhi police. They fired (pellets) on them. An AK-47 was used in Bihar. There should be an answer from the Home Minister of India. Why is he running away?" the Congress MP said.

Venugopal said that there are several other issues, including ethanol blending and statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, which the government was not ready to discuss.

"Chanda Chori in Ram Mandir. There is no answer. We are only asking for a discussion about what happened to Ram Mandir donations. There is no accountability. There is no proper investigation. These are the issues. E20 is an issue. Jammu and Kashmir statehood is an issue. The government is not ready to discuss any public issue raised by us because they don't want to run the Parliament. This is the problem," he added.

Opposition protests parliament deadlock

The ongoing monsoon session of Parliament has witnessed continued adjournments amid demands for the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the House proceedings, seeking their response on issues concerning the public.

Earlier in the day, the Opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and others, marched from the Gandhi statue at Prerna Sthal to Makar Dwar in Parliament in protest against Union Home Minister Amit Shah over 'police action' against CJP protestors on 20th July, the issue of alleged Ayodhya Ram Mandir donations embezzlement and other issues.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra demanded strict accountability from the central government over the alleged police action agaisnt the student protestors, saying that those holding public office must take full responsibility for issuing orders to use force against young citizens. Speaking to reporters, Vadra declared that India is a democratic country; "not someone's royal court," demanding to know who authorised the use of lathi charges and pellet guns. (ANI)

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