Amit Shah offers 24-hour Parliament debate; Rahul Gandhi rejects, demands answers

NEW DELHI: The political confrontation over alleged police action against student protesters took a new turn on Wednesday as Union Home Minister Amit Shah offered to participate in a 24-hour parliamentary debate, while Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi rejected the offer, insisting on direct answers about the incident.

The standoff stems from a protest march on July 20 by students demanding action over the NEET paper leak. The opposition has accused the Delhi Police of using excessive force, including alleged lathi-charge and firing, against the demonstrators. It has been demanding that Shah make a statement in Parliament on the matter.

Speaking to reporters, Shah said the government was ready for a detailed discussion and challenged the opposition to submit a letter to the Speaker by 2 pm, with the debate to start at 3 pm and continue until 3 pm the next day. "I will sit in the House; I will listen to everyone and respond to every point. The government has nothing to hide," he said.

Shah also denied allegations that he had been absent from Parliament, saying he had been attending regularly but the opposition was not allowing the House to function. "First of all, terms like 'laapata', 'bhaag gaye' are the kind of language increasingly being heard in India's public and parliamentary life," he said, referring to opposition accusations.

He said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had already indicated the government's willingness for a discussion. "We asked for a time to be fixed and for the opposition to be ready. That was their initial demand, and we agreed to it. I, too, have stated that I am ready to answer any question in Parliament, yet they simply do not want the discussion to take place," Shah added.

Shah also emphasised the importance of following parliamentary procedures. "There are established rules and procedures for parliamentary discussions. Yet, some ask me to simply make a statement. Such a serious issue cannot be discussed in that manner. That may be your method, but it is not the parliamentary way," he said. He offered to suspend the Question Hour if needed to ensure the debate.

Rahul Gandhi, however, dismissed Shah's offer, saying the opposition was not interested in a lecture but in concrete answers. "The opposition has clearly said that we are not interested in Amit Shah giving us a lecture. When I say 'we', I mean the younger generation of this country. Who shot the students? Who gave the order to beat up the students with lathis with nails? Did Amit Shah give this order to shoot our children? If he did, then he should resign," Gandhi said.

He said for the last 20 days, Shah had been "missing" and avoiding accountability. The opposition has maintained that a statement from the home minister is necessary to clarify the government's position and ensure accountability.

The impasse has paralysed both Houses of Parliament, with opposition members repeatedly demanding a discussion and the treasury benches asserting that the government is ready for a structured debate. The issue has also sparked wider concerns about freedom of expression and the right to protest, with student groups and civil society organisations condemning the alleged police action.

As the political standoff continues, the onus is on both sides to find a way to break the deadlock and allow Parliament to function. The opposition is expected to respond to Shah's offer formally in the coming hours.