NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday offered to sit in Parliament from “3pm today till 3pm the next day” to hear the opposition’s concerns and respond to every point, as the standoff over alleged police excesses against student protesters continued.Shah’s offer came amid opposition protests demanding that he make a statement in Parliament on the alleged police action against students during their July 20 march over the NEET paper leak issue.Speaking to reporters, Shah rejected opposition allegations that he had been absent from Parliament and said the government was ready for a detailed discussion on the issue.“First of all, terms like ‘laapata’, ‘bhaag gaye’ are the kind of language increasingly being heard in India’s public and parliamentary life. I have been coming to Parliament regularly since the session began; I sit in my chamber, but since the opposition is not allowing Parliament to function—in either House—what is one supposed to do?” Shah said.He said Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju had already made it clear that the government was ready for a full discussion on the student protests.“We asked for a time to be fixed and for the Opposition to be ready. That was their initial demand, and we agreed to it. I, too, have stated that I am ready to answer any question in Parliament, yet they simply do not want the discussion to take place,” Shah said.“Now, let the public decide who is running away. Let them submit a letter to the Speaker by 3:00 pm today. We are ready for a discussion on all aspects from 3:00 pm today until 3:00 pm tomorrow. I will sit in the House; I will listen to everyone and respond to every point. The government has nothing to hide,” he added.Shah said he was even willing to discuss why the opposition had not allowed the debate to take place. “The NDA government—under Modi ji’s leadership is ready to discuss anything; they just need to let Parliament function,” he said.Elaborating on his offer, Shah said, “I want to tell the opposition: submit a letter to the Speaker by 2.00 pm, we will start the discussion at 3.00pm, and I will provide answers to everything by 3:00 PM tomorrow.”“There are established rules and procedures for parliamentary discussions. Yet, some ask me to simply make a statement. Such a serious issue cannot be discussed in that manner. That may be your method, but it is not the parliamentary way. In Parliament, discussions are held at length,” he said.“In Parliament, discussions are held at length. I am ready for the debate to continue from 3:00 PM today, sitting late into the night and continuing until 3:00 PM tomorrow; I am even prepared to suspend the Question Hour if the Speaker grants permission,” Shah said.“I am ready for the discussion to go on until 3:00 PM tomorrow. I will sit through it myself, take notes on everything, and respond to every point so that the entire matter becomes clear to the people of the country—so that the truth is fully revealed. Now, the Opposition must decide whether they want to engage in a discussion or create an uproar,” he added.Rahul Gandhi hits backLeader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi rejected Shah’s offer, saying the opposition was seeking answers on the alleged police action against students rather than a lecture from the home minister.“The opposition has clearly said that we are not interested in Amit Shah giving us a lecture. When I say ‘we’, I mean the younger generation of this country. Who shot the students? Who gave the order to beat up the students with lathis with nails? Did Amit Shah give this order to shoot our children? If he did, then he should resign. For the last 20 days, Amit Shah has been missing. The Home Minister of India has no courage; he cannot come to the House,” Rahul said.“Did home minister Shah give orders to shoot our children or not; if he did, he is culpable and if he did not, he is incompetent: Rahul Gandhi,” he added.The Congress leader also took to X, sharing a video of his remark saying “When a man lacks the courage to speak the truth, his silence speaks for him. Amit Shah’s silence is his confession.”Centre vs oppositionThe opposition has been demanding Shah’s presence in Parliament and a statement on the “police action” against students during the Jantar Mantar protest.Earlier in the day, opposition MPs, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, staged a protest in the Parliament House Complex over the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the alleged police excesses against student protesters.Priyanka also questioned the government over the alleged use of force against students.The INDIA bloc has been protesting for more than three weeks, demanding Shah’s presence in the House and a statement from him.Earlier on Monday, Kiren Rijiju said the government was ready for a detailed discussion on the student protests and urged the opposition not to disrupt proceedings when Shah responds.“The offer made by the government is very clear that it is ready to have a full and detailed discussion on students’ movement and activities related to it,” Rijiju said.
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“My only point made to the opposition is that while the discussion and a reply are being made, the opposition should not create disturbances to prevent the statement of the Home Minister,” he said, adding that, “They must listen to the reply of the home minister and the government. Once discussion begins, we must have a threadbare discussion.”Rijiju’s remarks came after Rahul criticised the Centre over the alleged police action during the July 20 student protests at Jantar Mantar and demanded a court-monitored probe. Parliament proceedings have repeatedly been disrupted during the Monsoon Session, with several Bills passed by the Lok Sabha amid the continuing deadlock.
