The BJP on Wednesday challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to take part in a parliamentary debate on the students’ protests over the alleged NEET paper leak, following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s appeal to Speaker Om Birla to consult the Opposition on the issue.
In a letter to Birla, Shah said dialogue and discussions are the only ways to find solutions in a democracy and asserted that he is ready to answer all questions in the House.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex earlier in the day, Shah said it is now for the opposition to decide whether it wants to participate in a debate or create turmoil in Parliament.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Nabin said the continuous disruption of Parliament by the opposition has exposed its "anarchist mindset".
"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. The public is watching and now knows who is actually running away from discussions," Nabin said in a post on X.
Union minister Piyush Goyal also asked whether Gandhi would now attend the House for the debate.
"Will Rahul Gandhi show up in the House now? Home Minister Amit Shah ji has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla ji, urging a discussion in the House on the student movement over the NEET examination," Goyal said in a post on X.
"Now, Rahul Gandhi is caught in his own web of lies and deceit. He demanded a discussion; the government is ready to discuss it. Now, he can neither run away from the debate nor sit through it without being exposed. The House is waiting," he said.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh echoed Goyal's remarks, saying Gandhi had demanded a discussion and the government is ready for it.
"But he can neither run away from the debate nor sit through it without being exposed. The House is waiting. Will Rahul Gandhi show up?" Chugh said in a post on X.
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Congress should accept Shah's challenge and give a notice for a discussion in accordance with the rules of the House.
"You have the last opportunity to save your credibility. Do not run away from a discussion in the House. Come to the House and be ready for a discussion in accordance with the rules. Accept the home minister's challenge, listen to his reply and say whatever you have to say," Trivedi told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya accused Gandhi and the Congress of pursuing "politics of obstructionism" and "politics of disruption", saying the home minister has repeatedly made it clear that the government is ready for a full-fledged debate and to answer all questions raised by the opposition.
Talking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, Surya alleged that the opposition is wasting taxpayers' money by repeatedly disrupting the House proceedings despite the government's assurances.
He also accused Gandhi of making "personal" and "unparliamentary" attacks against Shah and described the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha as a "practitioner of politics of anarchy", alleging that he does not care about parliamentary procedures and rules.
(With inputs from PTI)