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New Delhi: Congress leader and LoP in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday squarely blamed Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the alleged use of force against students protesting at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, arguing that Shah must resign whether or not he personally ordered the crackdown.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Rahul said there were only two possibilities. If Shah authorised the police action, he was directly responsible for the alleged assault on students.
“This is the man who is responsible for what happened. Of course, he takes his orders from the Prime Minister, but this is the man who beat you, who thrash you, who humiliated you, who shot you with pellet guns,” he said, pointing at a picture of Shah.
He continued that if he was unaware of the action, he was unfit to continue as Home Minister because forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs had acted without his knowledge.
“If he didn't know, it was happening, he is incompetent. And if he ordered it, he is culpable. There is no third possibility. He either ordered it, or he has no idea what is going on in his ministry, and he is incompetent,” Rahul said
Rahul said that he personally saw Shah monitoring the situation during the Parliament session and alleged that Union Minister Jitendra Singh was receiving calls from the Home Minister as the events unfolded.
He accused Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) of using lathis fitted with nails, pellet guns and electric batons against protesters. According to Rahul, both forces function under the Ministry of Home Affairs, leaving no ambiguity about administrative responsibility. He said neither Haryana Police nor Uttar Pradesh Police operated in Delhi, arguing that the forces involved answered directly to Shah.
Rahul also revealed that he had written to the Home Minister on July 25 seeking clarification on whether he had approved the use of pellet guns and other force against students, and who had authorised individuals in plain clothes allegedly seen beating protesters with lathis. He said the ministry had neither replied to the questions nor acknowledged receiving the letter.