New Delhi, 06 August (H.S.): Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday targers the Central Government over the alleged police action against protesting students, saying the Opposition has only two demands since the beginning of the Monsoon Session of Parliament: that the Prime Minister apologise to the students and that Union Home Minister Amit Shah make a statement in Parliament explaining the entire episode.

Addressing a press conference at his residence, Kharge said the Opposition has consistently sought to know who authorised the use of force, including baton charges, pellet guns, tear gas, and other coercive measures against students during the protests. He alleged that the treatment meted out to peaceful demonstrators, particularly women students, was unacceptable.

Kharge said the Opposition's demand is simply that the Home Minister appear before Parliament and clarify at whose level the decision was taken to use baton charges, pellet guns, and tear gas. He pointed out that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Rapid Action Force (RAF), and the Delhi Police function under the Ministry of Home Affairs, and therefore accountability for the action must be established.

He alleged that for the past 15 days, neither the Home Minister has addressed the House nor has the Prime Minister made any statement on the issue. According to Kharge, this could mean either that the government does not attach importance to Parliament or that it is deliberately avoiding accountability.

The Congress president said that if the government genuinely wanted the students to end their protest, the Prime Minister or the Home Minister could have appealed to them in Parliament and assured them that their concerns would be addressed. However, he alleged that no such effort had been made.

Kharge said Opposition members of the Rajya Sabha met the Chairman earlier in the day and reiterated their demand for an apology from the Prime Minister and a statement from the Home Minister. He added that the Chairman also conveyed to the Parliamentary Affairs Minister that the sense of the House was that the Home Minister should present the government's position, but the government had still not taken any initiative.

He said Parliament is a forum for discussion and dialogue, and the Opposition is prepared to debate every issue. However, he alleged that the government is avoiding accountability. Kharge further claimed that whenever he attempts to raise important issues under Rule 267, he is not allowed to complete his remarks.

He said that if the Prime Minister had acknowledged that what happened to the students should not have occurred and expressed regret on behalf of the government, the situation could have normalised. He added that the Prime Minister should apologise to the students and their parents, who, according to him, have suffered deep mental distress because of the police action.

Kharge maintained that the continued deadlock in Parliament is not because of the Opposition but because of the government's unwillingness to respond. He said the impasse could be resolved if the Home Minister made a statement in the House and the Prime Minister responded to the concerns raised.

Responding to a question on how the proceedings of Parliament would move forward, Kharge said it would depend on when and how the government presents its position. He said the government should first make its statement in Parliament, after which the Opposition would decide its future course of action.

Replying to a question on the student protests in Jharkhand, Kharge said the Congress stands with students in every state. Whether in Jharkhand, Punjab, or Delhi, he said, the party would continue to raise its voice whenever students face injustice and would keep fighting for the resolution of their issues.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar