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New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday intensified his attack on the government as he demanded for resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over police excesses against students during July 20 protest in the national capital, and a Supreme Court monitored probe into the matter.
Stepping up his attack on the ruling BJP, he categorically stated that the Opposition will ensure that the students who were beaten and shot at with pellet guns, get justice.
Addressing a press conference at the party office here, the Leader of Opposition in Lower House said,” I was not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha. Others from the government were allowed to speak, but I was not allowed to speak. The excuse was that I said something about Amit Shah. I said that he was responsible for the brutality carried out against students.”
“I was also given an assurance that if I apologise, I would be allowed to continue speaking. The first thing is that I will never, ever apologise to the BJP, the RSS, or anyone associated with them,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi stated that it is his right as the Leader of Opposition to raise issues that are important to our country.
“To me, the most important issue today is that our students were brutalised on the streets of Delhi. They were shot with pellet guns. There were also shock batons, not just ordinary lathis, but lathis with nails. Facial recognition is being used against them. The Bajrang Dal is being mobilised to intimidate them so that they do not raise their voices again,” he said.
Referring to Union Home Minister , Rahul Gandhi said, “There are only two possibilities.Home Minister Amit Shah gave the order to use pellet guns, beat people with lathis, and use electric batons. Amit Shah did not know what was happening. If that is the case, it is incompetence. In either case, he needs to go.”
“We will ensure that the students who were beaten get justice. We will ensure that those who shot our students with pellet guns are punished.The Opposition guarantees the students that there will be accountability.Our advice to the Prime Minister is to sack Amit Shah and there should be a probe by Supreme Court-monitored independent high-powered committee . At least have the decency to take responsibility,” he said.
Referring to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 which was passed in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, he said, “The Bill is not worth discussing. The Bill is saying we accept paper leak. The Bill has been put in place , so that the RSS can escape.”
He said, “This is a ‘toothless’ Bill. All the provisions, to address the paper leak is completey toothless. This Bill will not address paper leak. We reject this Bill.”
Notably , the Amendment Bill seeks to further strengthen the provisions of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 by providing for fast-tracked investigation, speedy trial through Special Fast Track Courts, appointment of Special Public Prosecutors, time-bound disposal of appeals and more stringent penal provisions to effectively deter unfair means and organised malpractices in public examinations, as per the government’s statement.
