Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said the central government is ready for a detailed discussion in Parliament on students’ protest while accusing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of “running away” from a debate.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, Rijiju said the government is willing to go beyond a statement and hold a full-fledged discussion on the issue.
“Rahul Gandhi ji has been saying from the beginning that the 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.
Rijiju also said 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,” he said.
The minister said that 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 has run away again today,” Rijiju said.
The government made the offer on Monday and it is prepared to provide detailed answers on the students’ issue, he said.
“Yesterday, we had said that the government is ready for a detailed discussion on whatever incidents that took place during the students' protest. We kept the answers ready, and Home Minister Amit Shah ji was also ready. But they (opposition) did not allow the discussion to take place,” he said.
“Even today, we were fully prepared from the morning. All the NDA MPs were ready for the discussion to begin. The home minister was also sitting prepared to give his response. But the Congress again ran away and started raising slogans outside the House, not allowing the discussion to take place. It has become clear before the people of our country that we are ready for a discussion," Rijiju said.
He also appealed to the Congress to agree to a detailed discussion on the students' protest during the remaining days of the Monsoon Session, which ends Thursday.
“The Monsoon Session has now reached its final phase. In the remaining days, the Congress should not run away from a detailed discussion that the government has offered on the students' protest,” Rijiju said.
On Monday, Rahul Gandhi said the country is not interested in Amit Shah's opinion in Parliament on "general topics" and wants to know if he ordered firing of pellet guns at protesting students, after the government said the minister was ready to reply to a debate on student protests and police action.
The principal opposition party said it has been consistent with its three demands – that Shah should come clean on whether he ordered the firing on students, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should speak about the Ram Temple donations theft and apologise on both the issues – asserting that these were “non-negotiable”.
(With inputs from PTI)
