‘Students who choose activism must be ready for police action’: Nadda clashes with Kharge

New Delhi: Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge engaged in a war of words in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday over the police action against student protesters.

Nadda, who serves as the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, said students who chose activism must remain prepared for police action. He defended the crackdown and said the police could take necessary steps to restore law and order. Nadda also recalled his days as a student activist during the Emergency. He said the police had picked him up from his classroom two times.

Kharge questions democracy

Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, accused the BJP-led government of failing to protect democracy. “Democracy is not safe, people are not safe,” Kharge said.

He also claimed that those responsible for using “brutal force” against the students continued to roam freely. Nadda rejected the charge and defended the police response. He said the police had the right to take all required measures to control the law-and-order situation.

Opposition seeks apology

Opposition parties have asked the government and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to address the alleged “police brutality” against protesters on July 20. They have also demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the police action.

The dispute in the Rajya Sabha began after CPI(M) MP John Brittas raised the alleged police entry into his party’s national headquarters. Brittas said a Delhi Police team entered the office to arrest student leader Aishe Ghosh. He said her only “mistake” was taking part in the protest at Jantar Mantar.

Police entry questioned

Brittas said he was present at the CPI(M) office when the incident took place. He confronted the police and asked why they had entered the headquarters of a national political party. According to the Rajya Sabha MP, the police told him that a case registered against Ghosh in 2021 remained pending. The case related to a protest at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus.

Lok Sabha sees uproar

Opposition MPs also raised the police crackdown in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. They demanded accountability from the government and asked Amit Shah to address Parliament before the House took up other business.

The protest took place before Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s speech during the debate on the anti-paper leak bill. Amid the uproar, the Lok Sabha Speaker warned that he would adjourn the proceedings if MPs failed to restore order.

Akhilesh invokes Emergency

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had also criticised the police action on Tuesday. He compared the crackdown on student protesters at Jantar Mantar and other parts of the country with the Emergency.

“What happened in Delhi is worse than the Emergency,” Yadav said. He alleged that the use of tear gas and force against protesters had created an atmosphere of suppression similar to the Emergency.