New Delhi [India], July 26 (ANI): Congress leaders on Sunday intensified their attack on the Centre over alleged police action against student protesters, demanding answers from Home Minister Amit Shah and accountability following Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
Congress MP Jebi Mather said the party would continue to seek answers from the Home Minister and that the INDIA bloc would meet to decide its next course of action.
Speaking to reporters, Mather said, “Before this matter went to the task force, what happened to the students? How did it happen?… Rahul Gandhi has asked many questions whose answers the Home Minister has to provide. We will continue to demand that answers to such questions be given… We will hold a meeting of the INDIA alliance and then decide on the course of action…”
Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury backed Rahul Gandhi’s stand and questioned the alleged use of force against student demonstrators, calling on the Home Minister to apologise.
“This is right. We must raise this issue, and Rahul Gandhi has taken a timely view of it… What did you signal to the police, that they could use cannons against fellow citizens and fire rubber pellets?… Ordinary citizens will no longer be able to trust anyone in uniform. We don’t even know if they were real police or fake police officers in uniform… The Home Minister should also apologise to the students,” Chowdhury told reporters.
Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat described Pradhan’s resignation as a “major setback” for the government but said the issue extended beyond the resignation of a single minister.
“I believe this victory belongs to Rahul Gandhi and all the youths who contributed, directly or indirectly, to this struggle… Regarding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, I would say this is a major setback for this arrogant government. Rahul Gandhi has also written to Amit Shah; this is merely the first milestone… He resigned only due to immense pressure from the public, but there is still no genuine honesty of intent. Secondly, Rahul Gandhi has consistently emphasised the need to fix accountability and prevent any recurrence of such incidents. Thirdly, the Cabinet operates on the principle of collective responsibility; therefore, simply changing an individual is not enough; the system itself must change. We believe this issue goes beyond the resignation of a single person; we want to safeguard the future of our youth and ensure that such incidents do not happen again,” Bhagat told ANI.
Congress MP Manoj Kumar also demanded accountability from both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the alleged police action.
“The Prime Minister needs to accept responsibility…a wrong has been committed against the nation, and he ought to come forward and apologise…these children were voicing their views in a non-violent and peaceful manner, yet they were beaten…even now, many children are suffering from broken legs and fractured arms, while hundreds are in hospitals battling for their lives. Who is responsible for the use of pellet guns? Who is responsible for the lathi-charge on the children? Who issued such orders to the police? After all, the police act on orders; if they are ordered to use batons, they will do so…they were our children, our future…Home Minister Amit Shah must accept responsibility for this; he cannot evade accountability. These people must respond to the letter written by Rahul Gandhi,” he told ANI.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also targeted the Centre over the protest. Coming on the heels of Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, Gandhi’s remarks centred on police action during the July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ march led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP).
In a post on X, Gandhi questioned whether Shah had personally approved the use of “lethal force”, including pellet guns and tear gas, against students demonstrating over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy.
Gandhi highlighted the case of a 19-year-old student, Sahil Lochab, who allegedly faces the risk of losing an eye after being hit by pellets. (ANI)
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