New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the government was ready to discuss all issues in Parliament, including the students’ protests over the alleged NEET paper leak, and urged the Opposition to allow the House to function. The Opposition rejected the offer, saying it wanted answers and accountability rather than a “lecture” from the home minister.
Shah challenged the Opposition to submit a formal request to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for a debate, saying he was prepared to remain present throughout the discussion and answer every question raised.
“Even today, I say that they should submit a letter to the Speaker by 2 pm. We are ready for all kinds of discussions from 3 pm today until 3 pm tomorrow,” Shah told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
He said the NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was prepared to discuss every issue and maintained that the government had “nothing to hide”.
Shah said he would remain in the House, listen to the Opposition, take note of the points raised and respond to them at the conclusion of the debate.
The home minister also wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker requesting him to consult the Opposition and allocate as much time as required for a debate on the students’ protests.
“Dialogue and discussions are the only ways to find solutions in a democracy,” Shah said in the letter, adding that both the Opposition and treasury benches should be given an opportunity to put forward their views.
Rejecting demands that he make only a statement in Parliament, Shah said a serious issue concerning student protests could not be dealt with through a statement alone and required a detailed discussion under parliamentary rules and conventions.
He also rejected Opposition allegations that he had been “missing” during the controversy, saying he had regularly attended Parliament since the Monsoon Session began on July 20 but that repeated disruptions had prevented the Houses from functioning.
The Opposition, however, rejected Shah's offer.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the Opposition was not interested in a “lecture or discussion” from the home minister and instead wanted answers about the police action against protesting students.
“We are interested in one simple thing. When I say we, I mean the younger generation of this country — who shot those students, who gave the order to shoot those students?” Gandhi said.
He alleged that students had been subjected to pellet firing and lathi-charge and sought to hold the home ministry accountable for the police action.
Gandhi said that if Shah had ordered the action, he was culpable, and if he had not, he was incompetent. He demanded the home minister's resignation.
The Congress leader also rejected allegations that he had remained silent over the student protests in Jharkhand, saying he had publicly opposed violence against students.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress of “running away” from a debate despite the government offering to answer the Opposition's questions.
“The home minister is ready for the discussion. He has prepared the reply. They are running away. The whole world is watching it,” Rijiju said.
He said it was the responsibility of both the government and the Opposition to enable Parliament to function and described the Opposition's refusal to participate in the proposed debate as harmful to democracy.
BJP president Nitin Nabin also accused the Opposition of repeatedly disrupting Parliament despite the government's willingness to discuss major issues.
“Despite the Modi government's repeated efforts to discuss every key issue, the opposition chooses to run away from discussions and prevents Parliament from functioning,” Nabin said.