Piyush Goyal demands Rahul Gandhi apologise for Lok Sabha allegations

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal accused Rahul Gandhi of making false allegations in the Lok Sabha over police action against student protesters. He denied claims of firing, demanded an apology from the Congress leader and defended the government's handling of the education system

New Delhi: Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday accused Rahul Gandhi of making “baseless” and “false” allegations in the Lok Sabha over the police action against protesters and said the Leader of Opposition was “frustrated” as students had “rejected” him.

“It was nothing but a bundle of lies… He should not be allowed to get away with this. Rahul Gandhi should apologise. This is a serious misuse of the House,” the minister told reporters in the Parliament House complex on Gandhi’s remarks during a debate on the Bill to amend the anti-paper leaks law.

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Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that Home Minister Amit Shah had authorised police excesses against student protesters and that the RSS had “captured” the education system, triggering a massive uproar.

The Congress leader was referring to the crackdown by security forces during the march to Parliament on July 20 during the CJP-led protest over the NEET paper leak issue.

Hitting back, Goyal said, “There was no firing at all. How can Rahul Gandhi make such false allegations? He should apologise in the House and apologise to the country.

“There is no cure for some people. The Leader of the Opposition made such baseless and false statements on the floor of the House. There was no firing, yet such baseless allegations were made inside Parliament. I strongly condemn it,” the BJP leader said.

The minister alleged that Gandhi did not speak on the anti-paper leak Bill despite speaking for nearly an hour.

“I believe Rahul Gandhi had nothing to say. We saw that for nearly an hour he did not speak on the Bill. He did not utter a single word related to the subject of the debate. It was nothing but a bundle of lies,” he said.

Goyal said Gandhi’s speech in the Lok Sabha reflected his “frustration” and alleged that the Congress leader made false allegations despite the government’s efforts to address students’ concerns.

“Rahul Gandhi’s statement reflects his frustration. The government acted with great sensitivity towards children and addressed their concerns. His frustration is also because students have rejected him,” he claimed.

The minister denied Gandhi’s allegation of firing on students and demanded that the Congress leader apologise for making what he termed false claims.

Goyal also demanded action over the “baseless” allegations made by Gandhi, accusing him of misusing the House.

“Whatever action the House deems appropriate for making false allegations should be taken. Such statements cannot be made on the basis of lies,” he said.

Goyal alleged that repeated electoral defeats had left the Congress frustrated and claimed the party was unable to accept the people’s verdict.

“The Congress has still not been able to digest its repeated defeats. The people are rejecting them again and again, but they do not understand that the public is unhappy with them. After every defeat, they become even more frustrated. They have nothing to offer except lies and deception,” he said.

Rejecting Gandhi’s allegations about the functioning of the government and the RSS, Goyal said the Education Ministry functions according to rules.

“The RSS is a socio-cultural organisation. The Education Ministry functions according to rules. The ministry has its own systems, and officials oversee their implementation. Our government is committed to establishing good governance in the country,” he said.

Targeting the previous UPA government, Goyal alleged that the Congress still views governance through the prism of the National Advisory Council.

“Unlike them, we do not run the government through an extra-constitutional authority like the National Advisory Council. They still remember the way they functioned themselves, and perhaps that is why they do not understand how a government is run in a systematic manner,” he said.