Opposition not changing goalpost, Kharge says amid Parliament logjam

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Opposition remains firm on its demands amid the Parliament logjam, including a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on police action against protesting students. He called the Jharkhand student protest a separate issue

New Delhi: Amid the logjam in Parliament, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said the opposition is not changing its goalpost and its stand has been consistent from the beginning, including the demand that Home Minister Amit Shah must make a statement on police brutalities against students. Kharge also said that the students’ protest in Jharkhand is a “separate issue” and asked whether every single issue can be taken on a single day.

“We are not changing our goalpost. Our position has remained consistent from the very beginning, and we have three specific issues. The first concerns the lathi-charge and firing on students – we want to know who issued the orders and how it happened; we want a statement in the House regarding this. Secondly, as a result of the lathi-charge, many students fell ill or were hospitalised; over a 100 suffered minor injuries, and many were wounded by pellet guns. We want a statement on this matter as well. It has been 18 days, and there is no willingness to provide a statement,” Kharge told reporters in Parliament House complex.

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“They are merely trying to make a quick statement and move on; that is their intention. The second issue is the ‘Chanda Chori’ (donation theft) matter, and the third is the demand for an apology. These three issues have been raised from the beginning, remain relevant now, and will continue to persist until they are resolved,” the Congress chief said.

On the students’ protest in Jharkhand, Kharge said, “That is a separate issue. There are hundreds of issues, they are discussed separately? Do we bring up every single issue on the very same day?” Kharge’s remarks come a day after he along with Rahul Gandhi addressed a press conference and blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah for the logjam in Parliament.

Gandhi had said the country is not interested in Shah’s opinion in Parliament on “general topics” and wants to know if he ordered firing of pellet guns at protesting students, after the government said the minister was ready to reply to debate on student protests and police action.

The principal opposition party said it has been consistent with its three demands — that Shah should come clean on whether he ordered the firing on students or not, and Prime Minister Modi should speak about the Ram Temple donations theft and apologise on both the issues — and asserted these are “non-negotiable”.

Addressing a press conference along with Kharge at Indira Bhawan headquarters, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha alleged that Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah did not have the courage to come to the House for over 15 days or to “own up to what they have done”.