Monsoon session: Security steps in as protesting rival MPs come face to face

While NDA accused Rahul of running away, opposition parties said Shah had done a disappearing act

NEW DELHI: After being at the receiving end of the opposition’s protest for days, NDA MPs went on the offensive Tuesday as they seized on police action against protesting students in Jharkhand to stage a march in Parliament complex targeting Rahul Gandhi, with former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan calling him a habitual liar who “neither wants to come to Parliament nor listen to answers”.As the governing alliance accused Rahul of “running away” from a discussion after govt agreed to his demand for home minister Amit Shah’s statement on the alleged use of excessive force against students protesting the NEET-UG paper leak in Delhi — which led to Pradhan’s resignation as minister — the senior BJP member said on X that Congress was not just continuously “spreading lies” regarding students’ interests, but crushing the country’s and youth’s interests by obstructing Parliament proceedings.Both sides came face to face near Makar Dwar, the main entrance to Parliament, prompting security staff to build a cordon around them.It was not without some moments of amusement, however, as Congress MP Pawan Khera was seen attacking govt in comments to the media, while MPs from BJP and its allies around him with placards against Rahul.From the venue of their parliamentary party meeting, NDA MPs carried a big banner, taunting Rahul for “running away” from govt’s offer to discuss the student protest in Delhi and Shah’s reply. The leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha had rejected govt’s proposal, saying all three of their demands, including PM Narendra Modi’s statement on donation theft issue, were non-negotiable.With Rahul criticising the use of force against students in Jharkhand, BJP dared him to withdraw his party’s support to the state govt headed by JMM’s Hemant Soren.Students in Jharkhand, where the JMM-Congress alliance is in office, were baton-charged by police and many of them were injured, but no one has resigned from state govt, BJP MP Anurag Thakur said. “When the home minister is ready to reply in Parliament, Rahul does not want to come. Congress is using students for its politics,” he said.Opposition MPs protested the Ram temple donation theft and alleged police excesses in Delhi on July 20. Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi Vadra claimed the opposition had forced even governing alliance MPs to protest, adding govt should now make a statement. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said the theft and police action were linked to the same organisation, taking a swipe at RSS.

Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said govt had gone beyond Rahul’s demand for a statement from Shah by agreeing to a debate but he was now running away.Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde and RLM’s Upendra Kushwaha said the opposition was determined to disrupt Parliament under one pretext or another. Rahul is engaging in selective outrage, Shinde said.