Shah ignored RS chair’s call: Mallikarjun Kharge

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday slammed Home Minister Amit Shah for not making a statement in Parliament over alleged police brutalities on students and said he did not come despite Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan noting he should speak in the House.

Kharge said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah are either “ignoring” Parliament or they are afraid to come to the two Houses. He demanded that the duo should apologise to the students.

Radhakrishnan asked Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to “echo the sentiments” of the Opposition, which is demanding Shah’s presence in the House, to the Union minister. The request from the Chairman came when the House was facing continuous disruptions during Question Hour soon after it met at 12 noon. The Chair repeatedly asked the protesting members not to shout during the proceedings and that they would be given a chance to put forth their views. Tagging a video clip of Radhakrishnan’s remarks, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “Hope the Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs will follow the clear instructions of the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha given this afternoon at 12:16 hours.” Kharge said the opposition has been demanding for the past 15 days that Shah “come to the House and tell the country as to who gave the order to lathi-charge the students? Who instructed the firing of pellet guns at the students? Why were tear gas shells fired at the students?”