Not interested in fantasy conversations: Rahul's attack on Amit Shah over protests

"Not interested in fantasy conversations." Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday rejected the government's offer of a discussion on student issues, demanding that Union Home Minister Amit Shah first answer who authorised the alleged firing on protesting students in Delhi.Gandhi said the Opposition was never asking Shah to simply come to Parliament and deliver a speech on general issues. Its demand, he said, was for the Home Minister to explain whether he ordered the police action against students protesting in Delhi on June 20."The question was never that Mr Amit Shah is going to come and give a speech on some general topics in Parliament. The question was always that Amit Shah has to make it clear who authorised the shooting of our youngsters in Delhi," Gandhi said at a press conference alongside Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.He alleged that pellet guns were fired during the police action and that students were beaten with lathis "with nails on them"."He should come clean. Did he order it or did he not order it?" Gandhi said.'IF HE ORDERED IT, HE IS CULPABLE'Gandhi said Shah's responsibility was at the centre of the Opposition's demand."If he ordered it, he is guilty of getting our children shot. And if he didn't know about it happening, he's incompetent. Either way, he should go," Gandhi said.He said the Opposition wanted to know whether Shah had personally authorised the alleged firing and, if he had not, who in the Ministry of Home Affairs had done so."Amit Shah does not have the courage to come to the Parliament and stand before us. This is what they have shown in the last 15 days. Neither Narendra Modi nor Amit Shah has the guts," Gandhi said."No one is interested in his opinion; we just want to know who ordered the firing, and if he did not order it, then who in MHA ordered it? We want to understand: is there culpability or incompetence?"Gandhi also said the Prime Minister should apologise over the police action against students during the protest.He listed alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple as the third issue the Opposition was pressing the government on.KHARGE CALLS THREE DEMANDS 'NON-NEGOTIABLE'Kharge said the Opposition's demands also included a discussion on the alleged paper leak issue."Our first demand is that the Union Home Minister comes and tells why pellet guns, tear gas, lathi-charge were used on students," Kharge said.He also repeated the Opposition's allegations concerning donations at the Ram temple."Prime Minister announced the trust and constituted it. Under Modi ji's trusted trustees, theft of donations took place. We wanted the guilty punished and the PM to make statement, but the government did not pay heed to it," Kharge said.Kharge said the Prime Minister should apologise because "lakhs of people have faith in the Ram temple"."These three issues are non-negotiable. We are fighting on all three issues. We stand firm on these three issues; the government must reply on this," he said.Kharge also accused the government of failing to respond to the Opposition's demands for nearly 15 days."We kept forcing them, but he (Shah) did not come," Kharge said.RAHUL GANDHI BACKS JHARKHAND STUDENTSGandhi also condemned the use of force against students protesting in Jharkhand and called on the state government to engage with them and resolve their grievances.His remarks came after police in Ranchi used water cannons, lobbed tear gas shells and lathi-charged job aspirants who breached barricades while attempting to reach the state Assembly.The protesters were demonstrating over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations."The use of force against students protesting in Jharkhand is wrong," Gandhi said in a post on X."Students have a right to peaceful protest, and only dialogue can yield solutions. The Jharkhand government must continue to hear these students out and resolve their issues immediately," he said.The Congress is part of the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand.At his press conference, Gandhi reiterated that the Congress did not support violence against peaceful protesters, regardless of where it took place."My message to protesting students in Jharkhand is clear. We condemn any violence against peacefully protesting students," Gandhi said."It does not matter where it is happening. We condemn it, we are against it, we do not recommend it, and we do not support it. We are very clear.""As long as protests are peaceful, we are against any attack on it with violence," he added.Several protesters claimed they were injured during the police action, which took place after they reached the final barricade near Jagannathpur Temple on the road leading to the Jharkhand Assembly, which is currently in session.GOVT OFFERS DISCUSSION, SHAH TO RESPONDGandhi's remarks came after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government was ready for a detailed discussion on all issues concerning students and that Shah would respond to the Opposition's points."The government is ready for a discussion on issues related to students. We are ready and will respond to all the points that will be raised by the Opposition. The Home Minister will respond," Rijiju said.He also urged Opposition MPs to allow the discussion to proceed without disruptions."My only point to the Opposition is that while the discussion and a reply are being made, the Opposition should not create disturbances to prevent the statement of the Home Minister," Rijiju said."They must listen to the reply of the Home Minister and the government. Once discussion begins, we must have a threadbare discussion."Gandhi, however, said the government's proposed discussion did not address what the Opposition was asking."We are not interested in his fantasy conversations. We are interested in whether he authorised or didn't authorise the shooting of our children," Gandhi said.PARLIAMENT DEADLOCK CONTINUESThe confrontation comes amid continued disruption in Parliament over the Opposition's demand for answers from Shah on the police action against students in Delhi.Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have witnessed protests and slogans targeting the Home Minister, with Opposition MPs also staging demonstrations at the gates of Parliament.Earlier on Monday, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him to direct Shah to make a comprehensive statement on the floor of the House.Venugopal described the alleged police action against "young citizens exercising their democratic rights" as a "matter of grave national concern" and sought answers over what he called "police atrocities and the use of pellet guns against the youth and students in Delhi".He also argued that because the Delhi Police functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs, the "ultimate responsibility" for the action rests with the Home Minister.With only four days of the Monsoon Session remaining, the continuing disruptions have also left several key legislative measures uncertain.The Congress has issued a whip to its MPs in both Houses, asking them to remain present on August 10, August 11 and August 12, citing "very important" issues scheduled for discussion. The party has also asked its INDIA bloc allies to ensure that their MPs remain present during the remaining days of the session.- EndsPublished By: Anuja JhaPublished On: Aug 10, 2026 18:14 IST