The Parliament’s Monsoon Session is set to end in a near-total washout, with the final day on Thursday witnessing protests by Opposition INDIA bloc MPs and a counter-demonstration by ruling NDA members.
The two groups came face-to-face near Makar Dwar, with security personnel forming a cordon between them. NDA MPs demanded answers from Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he was “running away” from a debate on student protests across the country.
INDIA bloc MPs, meanwhile, demanded accountability from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over alleged police excesses during the July 20 student protests over paper leaks. They also raised allegations of theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Opposition MPs, mainly from the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress, stood behind a large banner reading, “Chanda kisne loota hai?” and raised slogans against the BJP.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said she had never witnessed such a face-off between the ruling and Opposition blocs in Parliament. “I have seen this for the very first time. This is new,” she said.
Senior Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy said it was the government’s responsibility to ensure the House functioned. “We wanted the government to clarify who ordered the pellet gun firing, but that explanation was not provided,” he said. “It is not our responsibility to run the House; it is theirs. It is their job to persuade and convince the Opposition.”
Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla blamed the government’s alleged lack of accountability for the disruption. “The role of the Opposition is to raise issues so that the government takes cognizance of them. If they had listened to Rahul Gandhi earlier, the entire country would not be witnessing this situation today,” she said.
The BJP MPs, however, alleged that Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was responsible for not letting the House function..
Union Minister Giriraj Singh launched a sharp attack on Gandhi, saying the Congress leader was under the “delusion” that former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had resigned because of him.
“Next, he thought he would force Amit Shah to resign, and then PM Narendra Modi. Democracy is not anyone’s personal fiefdom. It functions according to a system,” Singh said.
