Speaking to the media in the Parliament House complex, Rijiju said that the government is willing to go beyond a statement and hold a full-fledged discussion on the issue.
New Delhi:Amid mounting Opposition pressure and no end in sight to the deadlock in Parliament, Union home minister Amit Shah is expected to make a statement in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday on the recent police action against the protesting students at Jantar Mantar. Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said that the government is ready for a detailed discussion in Parliament on students' protest and accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of "running away" from a debate.
Earlier in the day, a face-off between the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc MPs came face-to-face at Parliament's main gate “Makar Dwar”. Security personnel formed a cordon between the ruling and the Opposition MPs as they staged protests and raised counter-slogans over "brutal" police action on job aspirants in Jharkhand and issues surrounding the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Opposition is not changing the goalpost. He asserted that the Opposition's stand has been consistent from the beginning, including the demand that Shah must make a statement on police brutalities against students. The Congress president also said that the students' protest in Jharkhand is a "separate issue".
Speaking to the media in the Parliament House complex, Rijiju said that the government is willing to go beyond a statement and hold a full-fledged discussion on the issue. "Rahul Gandhi has been saying from the beginning that the Union home minister should make a statement. We are saying, why just a statement? We will have a full discussion. A statement is only a formal written document. We are ready to go beyond a statement and have a full-fledged discussion for the entire day, or even for two days, and give answers to every single point," he said, adding that a detailed discussion will bring clarity on all aspects related to students' protest.
"The protest has several aspects. If we discuss it in detail, everything will come out in the open and the truth will become clear," the Union parliamentary affairs minister said, adding that the NDA MPs have also urged Rahul Gandhi not to "run away" from the debate. "It is unfortunate that the Congress has again run away from a discussion. Today, our NDA colleagues also demanded that Rahul Gandhi should not run away. But he ran away again today," he said.
The minister said that the government made the offer on Monday. "Yesterday, we had said that the government is ready for a detailed discussion on whatever incidents took place during the students' protest. We kept the answers ready, and the Union home minister was also ready. But they (the Opposition) did not allow the discussion to take place."
Before the start of the day’s proceedings, members of both the ruling and the Opposition parties came face to face in the Parliament house complex. The MPs raised slogans against each other with just a group of security men, arms interlocked, standing in between them.
A heated exchange also took place between Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and BJP MP from Surat Mukesh Dalal. “Why has Mr Gandhi not visited Jharkhand yet?” he asked.
Vadra tried to counter Dalal, but he kept shouting, "Jharkhand kyun nahi gaye? (Why didn't he go to Jharkhand?)"
"Rahul Ji Jharkhand ke chhatro se mile bhi hain. (Gandhi has even met the students from Jharkhand)," she replied before walking away.
Moments later, Vadra told journalists that she had noticed ruling party MPs holding a protest for the first time. "At least we have forced them (the government) to do this. Now he (Shah) should come and give a statement."
While the Opposition has two demands for which they were holding placards that the home minister explain the police crackdown on student protesters in Delhi and a discussion on the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya in the floor of the House.
While the Opposition MPs are pressing ahead with their demands for the Union home minister to explain the police crackdown on student protesters in Delhi and a discussion on the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on the floor of the House, the ruling NDA MPs held a protest against the alleged police action on job aspirants in Jharkhand and Rahul Gandhi's stand on the issue. The ruling MPs marched from the Parliament library to Makar Dwar and raised slogans such as "Rahul Gandhi Jawab Do" and "Rahul Gandhi Bhago Mat".
Speaking to reporters during the protest, BJP national spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra asked Gandhi to explain his position on the police action against Jharkhand students' protest. "Gandhi, isn't your party a part of the Jharkhand government? Is it not a fact that barbaric scenes were witnessed in Jharkhand on Monday? The way lathis were used on children, the way students and girl students were mistreated and the way the police showed brutality against them -- who is accountable for this?" Dr Patra asked.
Kharge, meanwhile, said that the students' protest in Jharkhand is a "separate issue" and asked whether every single issue can be taken on a single day.
"We are not changing our goal post. Our position has remained consistent from the very beginning, and we have three specific issues. The first concerns the lathi charge and firing on students – we want to know who issued the orders and how it happened; we want a statement in the House regarding this. Secondly, as a result of the lathi charge, many students fell ill or were hospitalised; over 100 suffered minor injuries, and many were wounded by pellet guns. We want a statement on this matter as well. It has been 18 days, and there is no willingness to provide a statement," Kharge said.
"They are merely trying to make a quick statement and move on; that is their intention. The second issue is the 'Chanda Chori' (donation theft) matter, and the third is the demand for an apology. These three issues have been raised from the beginning, remain relevant now, and will continue to persist until they are resolved," the Congress chief said
