MP Gaurav Gogoi questions Amit Shah’s absence during Parliament education debate, seeks accountability over student protests

Congress MP of Assam's Jorhat Gaurav Gogoi on August 11 criticised the Centre over the functioning of Parliament and the government's handling of recent student protests in Jharkhand, questioning the absence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah during an earlier discussion on education.

Gogoi said Parliament had held a two-day discussion on education during which Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra put forward their views. He questioned why Shah did not participate in the debate and also raised questions over the absence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The Congress MP alleged that the Opposition had been seeking the Education Minister's presence in Parliament for around 15 days and questioned the government's decision to seek a debate on the matter towards the end of the session.

Gogoi also raised allegations concerning the use of pellet guns during student protests and demanded accountability from the Union Home Minister. He questioned who authorised the alleged firing and said Shah should take responsibility if the allegations were established.

Referring to the student protests in Jharkhand, Gogoi said Rahul Gandhi had condemned the alleged lathi-charge on students soon after the incident. He accused the BJP-led government of attempting to shield the Union Education Minister while questioning the character of students involved in the protests.

Gogoi also referred to allegations of abusive language being directed at women protesters at Jantar Mantar and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response to the matter.

The Congress leader further said issues surrounding the alleged "donation theft" should also be discussed, as the political confrontation between the Opposition and the government continued over the protests and Parliament's functioning.