The Congress on Wednesday held Home Minister Amit Shah responsible for the violence that shook the national capital on Republic Day due to the security lapse and intelligence failure and said he should be sacked immediately.
The Congress also accused the Modi government of being part of a concerted conspiracy to malign the farmers' agitation by allowing some miscreants to enter the Red Fort complex and hoist a religious flag, in their bid to ensure that the farmers bury their demand for the repeal of three new agri laws.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the goverment is adopting "a policy of first hit, torment and defeat the farmers by the use of force, then tiring them out through various rounds of talks, trying to divide them and finally by now defaming them through such miscreants who created violence during their tractor march".
He said this has been the policy of the government from the first day, but farmers should not deviate from their goal of getting the three farm laws repealed through peaceful protests and struggle.
"A concerted conspiracy, aided and abetted by the Modi government is unfolding to malign the entire farmers' movement and to push them out and bury the demand for repeal of the three anti-agriculture black laws under the din and noise of FIRs," Surjewala told reporters.
The Congress leader said the Delhi Police instead of booking and arresting the miscreants involved in violence and unruly incidents, is actually registering false cases against the leaders of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha. He asked how a group of 500 people could enter the complex without being stopped by the police, who remained mute spectators as the miscreants indulged in hooliganism and violence.
"It is a huge, colossal security lapse and intelligence failure on the part of none less than the Home Minster of India Amit Shah. Amit Shah must be sacked without delay," he said.
Surjewala further said, "Can such a Home Minister, who is the weakest Home Minster in the history of India in last 73 years, be permitted to stay in office even for a single day? Amit Shah must be sacked and if the Prime Minister does not sack him, it will be apparent that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a part of this concerted conspiracy to malign the farmers' movement".
He said this is the second time in less than a year that under Shah's leadership the national capital has been pushed to the brink of unabated, unchecked and uncontrolled violence. He recalled the Delhi riots and the anti-CAA protests when violence had erupted in the national capital.
"Did Amit Shah and intelligence agencies not know about the open declaration over the last 24-48 hours by these violent and anti-social elements, who segregated themselves from the farmers and expressed their desire that they are going to go to the Red Fort," the Congress leader asked.
"What was Amit Shah doing? Was he sleeping? What were the intelligence agencies doing? Were they sleeping," he also asked.
Surjewala said how can the police remain mute spectators as 500-700 people occupied the Red Fort. He claimed the policy of the Modi government and the BJP from day one has been very clear -- to defame and remove the farmers from agitating against the new agri laws.
He alleged that a set of people with the premeditated motive of violence, who have nothing to do with the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, were permitted to enter the Red Fort and put up a flag there, carrying out an act of sacrilege.
"This is unacceptable and those who did it, Deep Sidhu and gang, they have been seen in the past cohabiting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, ample evidence of which is now available in public domain. Instead of arresting them then and there, they were permitted to go back," Surjewala said.
