Amit Shah challenges opposition to debate, says ready for discussion from 3 pm
New Delhi, August 12: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday accused the opposition of disrupting Parliament proceedings and said the government is ready to discuss every issue. He said the opposition should submit a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker by 3 pm today for discussion. The government is ready to hold discussions from 3 pm to 3 pm the next day, and he himself will be present in the House to answer all questions.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament complex, Shah said that since the monsoon session of Parliament began, he has been regularly attending Parliament and remaining present in his chamber, but the opposition is preventing proceedings in both Houses. In such a situation, what can be done even by going inside the House? He said the public should now decide who is actually running away.
The Home Minister stated that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has already clarified that the government is ready to discuss all aspects of the NEET-related student protests. He stated that the opposition’s initial demand was to schedule a time for discussion, and the government agreed to this. He himself is ready to answer every question raised in Parliament, but the opposition does not want to allow discussion to take place.
He stated that the government has nothing to hide. Shah stated that the government favors detailed discussion within parliamentary rules and established procedures, rather than merely issuing statements. He stated that serious issues are discussed in detail in Parliament, and this is the parliamentary way.
Shah stated that he is ready to continue the discussion starting at 3 pm today and continuing until 3 pm the next day. If necessary, he is also prepared to sit in the House late into the night and continue the discussion. He even stated that if the Speaker of the Lok Sabha permits, the discussion can be extended by postponing Question Hour.
He said he would sit in the House throughout the discussion, listen to all members, take notes on important points, and answer every question so that the truth of the matter is clear to the people of the country.
The Home Minister told the opposition that it now has to decide whether it wants to discuss the matter in Parliament or create a ruckus. He said that the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government are ready to discuss every issue. The opposition should allow Parliament to function.
Shah also said that words like “missing” and “absconded” have become more common in public and parliamentary discourse in recent times. Regarding the opposition’s questions about his presence in Parliament, he said that he has been attending Parliament regularly since the start of the session and is ready to answer all questions while the House is in session.
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