Protest vs protest outside parliament over Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi, Ram temple

NEW DELHI, Aug 11: A group of security men, arms interlocked, were standing in between the Opposition and the NDA MPs as they raised slogans against each other while protesting right outside the Makar Dwar, one of the main gates at the Parliament building.  

 

The Opposition has two demands: that Home Minister Amit Shah appear in Parliament and explain the police crackdown on student protesters in Delhi and a discussion on the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Staging a counter protest, the ruling party MPs accused Rahul Gandhi of running away from discussion and of practising double standards as the police in Jharkhand, where the Congress is a junior ally in the Hemant Soren-led government, lathicharged protesting students.

The protests by NDA MPs come a day after the government offered to let Amit Shah address Parliament on the student protests. 

Parliamentary Affairs Minister KirenRijiju had said Shah was ready to answer the Opposition's questions, provided proceedings were allowed to function without disruption.

To this, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, said that the Opposition is not interested in listening to Shah's "opinion" and just wanted an answer on who was behind the police crackdown.

The Lok Sabha remains adjourned following continued disruptions and several non-productive days in the House.

"The government has stated that the Home Minister is ready to respond. The government has agreed to your main demand, and other issues will also be discussed. Please cooperate," Speaker Om Birla said as the Monsoon Session entered its last week.

"Sharmkaro, sharmkaro, Rahul Gandhi, sharmkaro," BJP MP MukeshDalal was raising slogans against the Congress leader when Priyanka Gandhi arrived in Parliament.