Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge along with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi led Congress and other INDIA bloc MPs in a protest march from Prerna Sthal to Makar Dwar inside the Parliament premises on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the lathicharge on peaceful protestors at Jantar Mantar.
Holding placards and a huge banner with anti-government and anti-Home Minister slogans, including slOgan asking ” AMIT SHAH JAWAAB DO” the MPs raised slogans and alleged that Amit Shah was directly responsible for ordering the lathicharge, use of pellet guns and firing of tear gas shells on innocent students and citizens who were agitating peacefully at and around Jantar Mantar, in which several people were injured.
The main demand of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance leaders was that the Union Home Minister must come to both Houses of Parliament and give a detailed and satisfactory answer on who ordered the force, why pellet guns and tear gas were used, and what steps will be taken for those injured.
Apart from Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, senior Congress leaders including KC Venugopal, Gaurav Gogoi, Manish Tewari, Shashi Tharoor and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took part in the march.
Leaders from other INDIA bloc parties who joined were Derek O’Brien and Kalyan Banerjee of TMC, T.R. Baalu and Kanimozhi of DMK, Ram Gopal Yadav and Dharmendra Yadav of SP, Manoj Jha of RJD, Supriya Sule of NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT), Mahua Maji of JMM, Sanjay Singh of AAP, D. Raja of CPI, John Brittas and P. Santosh Kumar of CPI(M), E.T. Mohammed Basheer of IUML and Lalan Singh among others.
Addressing the media after the march, Mallikarjun Kharge said the government was crushing democratic dissent with force and the Home Minister must answer in Parliament, while Rahul Gandhi said this was about the right to protest in a democracy and Amit Shah must come to the House and explain.
The opposition also demanded a judicial inquiry into the Jantar Mantar incident, immediate medical help and compensation for the injured, and action against officials responsible for the crackdown.
The march ended at Makar Dwar where the MPs staged a brief sit-in before being asked to disperse, and later the issue was raised inside both Houses with INDIA bloc members insisting that no other business be taken up until the Home Minister makes a statement.
