Home minister offers Parliament debate on Jantar Mantar crackdown; LoP says youth does not want a “lecture”
A fresh political confrontation erupted in Parliament on Wednesday after Union Home Minister Amit Shah offered the Opposition a detailed debate on the alleged crackdown on student protesters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar last month.
Shah said the government was ready to discuss the issue in Parliament, provided the Opposition submitted a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker by 2 pm, allowing the debate to begin at 3 pm.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, however, rejected the offer, accusing Shah of avoiding the House and attempting to turn the discussion into a “lecture”.
Speaking to reporters, Gandhi said the youth of the country was not interested in listening to Shah’s address. He questioned who ordered police action against the protesting students and demanded accountability for the alleged use of force.
“Who shot the students? Who gave the order to beat up the students with lathis with nails?” Gandhi asked.
He further questioned whether Shah had ordered the alleged action, saying that if the home minister had done so, he should resign.
Gandhi also accused Shah of remaining absent from Parliament for nearly 20 days.
“For the last 20 days, Amit Shah has been missing. The Home Minister of India has no courage; he cannot come to the House,” he said.
The exchange comes amid heightened Opposition criticism over the handling of student protests, with the government maintaining that it is prepared to address the issue through parliamentary debate.
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