Rahul demands Shah’s sacking over crackdown on students
In an attack on the Government over alleged police excesses against protesting students on July 20 in the Capital, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the brutalities. The Leader of Opposition alleged that he was not allowed to speak in Lok Sabha and every time he tried to speak, he was silenced.
“As you saw today, the Leader of Opposition is not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha. Multiple times, I asked the Speaker to bring order to the house so that I can speak. Multiple times, (Union ministers Kiren) Rijiju, Rajnath Singh were allowed to speak and the excuse was that I said something about Home Minister Shah,” he said.
The BJP, however, rejected Rahul’s claim that police fired bullets at students during their march to Parliament last week following Union home minister Shah’s order, alleging that the Congress leader is attempting to spread confusion and incite anarchy for political gains.
Addressing a press conference, Rahul sought to know whether Shah ordered students to be shot with pellet guns and beaten with lathis with nails or whether he was unaware. “If he ordered it, he is culpable and if he did not know then he is incompetent,” Rahul said, referring to the crackdown by security forces during the July 20 Cockroach Janta Party-led protest march to Parliament.
“I said Shah was responsible for the brutality that was carried out. I was given an assurance that if I apologise, I will be allowed to speak. I will never apologise to the BJP-RSS,” he said. It is my right to raise issues that are important to the country, he asserted, adding that “brutalisation of our students” assault on our students is a fundamental issue.
Pointing to a picture of Shah on the screen at the press conference, Rahul said to students, “This is the man who beat you, thrashed you, humiliated you and shot you with pellet guns. We will ensure that the students who were beaten get justice and people who shot students with pellet guns are punished,” he said. So it is our advice to the PM to sack Shah, he said. He also demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the alleged police excesses.
