Rahul Gandhi rejects Shah’s debate offer, seeks accountability for student crackdown

The political standoff over the police action against protesting students sharpened on Wednesday, with leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi rejecting Union home minister Amit Shah’s offer of a debate and insisting that the government answer a more direct question: who ordered the alleged firing and use of force against the protesters?

Speaking to reporters on the Parliament premises, Rahul Gandhi said the Opposition was not interested in what he described as the home minister’s “imagination or lectures”, arguing that the younger generation wanted accountability over the 20 July police action during the students’ march over the NEET paper leak issue.

“Who shot those students? Who blinded one of the students? Who gave the order to beat the students with lathis?” Rahul Gandhi asked, reiterating the Opposition’s demand for answers from Shah.

His remarks came shortly after Shah offered to participate in a detailed discussion on the students’ agitation at Jantar Mantar and said he was ready to answer questions concerning the police action.

Congress leader sharpens attack on Shah

Rahul Gandhi said the Delhi Police functions under the Union home ministry and argued that Shah must therefore accept responsibility for the action against the protesters.

“Did Mr Amit Shah give this order to shoot our children or did he not?” Gandhi asked, adding that Shah should resign if he authorised the action and also resign if he was unaware of it, which he described as incompetence.

The Congress leader also accused Shah of avoiding the House and questioned his absence during the Opposition’s repeated demands for a statement.

“He was absent for 20 days,” Rahul Gandhi claimed, while also taking aim at the security arrangements surrounding the home minister.

Rahul Gandhi’s attack then spilled over to the media. Irritated by questions about Shah’s debate offer, he accused journalists of repeatedly challenging the Opposition while failing to question ministers with the same intensity.

“The whole media stands before him like a mouse,” Rahul Gandhi said, urging journalists not to be fearful.

“Students are not frightened, you also must not be fearful,” he added.

Shah counters Opposition charge

Shah, meanwhile, pushed back against allegations that he was avoiding Parliament. Speaking to reporters on the Parliament premises, he said he had been regularly attending the ongoing Monsoon Session.

The home minister pointed to parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju’s earlier assurance that the government was prepared for a detailed discussion on the students’ protests.

Shah said the government had already accepted the Opposition’s original demand for a discussion and maintained that he had made it clear he was ready to answer questions on the matter in Parliament.

The dispute has become a major flashpoint during the Monsoon Session, with the Opposition repeatedly demanding Shah’s presence and a statement on the 20 July police action. The confrontation has also triggered repeated disruptions in the Lok Sabha, deepening the political impasse over the students’ protest.

With IANS inputs