NEW DELHI: Hours after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attacked Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the police action against what he described as student protesters, the BJP on Wednesday accused him of lying in Parliament and spreading misinformation.
National spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP Sambit Patra alleged that Rahul Gandhi had deliberately lied in Parliament to mislead the nation. “Rahul Gandhi claimed that shots were fired at the students’ march to Parliament. This is a lie; the BJP categorically refutes it,” Patra said.
He also rejected Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that the Home Minister had ordered police to open fire. “This is also a lie; since no shots were fired at all, where could such an order have come from?” Patra said.
Targeting Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Amit Shah, Patra said a magistrate is present wherever a protest takes place to decide immediately whether force should be used. “It is not the Home Minister who takes that decision,” he added. Patra also criticised Rahul Gandhi’s statement that he would never apologise.
“Rahul Gandhi also said that he has never apologised, and never will apologise, to the BJP, the RSS, or anyone associated with them. But only a few days ago, he apologised to Shivraj Singh Chouhan in court.
He submitted a written apology, saying, ‘Please forgive me.’ I also remember that when he made the ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ remark, the Supreme Court required him to file an affidavit expressing regret,” Patra said.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Amit Shah’s convoy, Patra challenged him to count the vehicles and “show us where Amit Shah’s convoy had 30 vehicles”. He also rejected Rahul Gandhi’s claim that Amit Shah was “trembling”, saying, “
Amit Shah is the person before whom terrorists and Naxals tremble.” Patra accused Rahul Gandhi of using unparliamentary language and insulting students by categorising them into three groups. Patra also criticised him for categorising the country’s students into three groups.
