New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi Saturday attributed the security breach in the parliament to the high unemployment rate in the country, saying, “Yes there has been a breach, but the reason behind it is inflation and unemployment.”
Rahul’s remarks come amid the Opposition’s bid to corner the government over the incident.
Speaking outside the Congress headquarters in Delhi Saturday, Rahul said the breach happened “Because of the biggest issue in the country — unemployment”, adding that “it is a boiling issue across the country. Due to Modiji’s policies, Indian youth is not getting employment.”
During Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha Wednesday, two men had jumped from the visitors’ gallery into the chamber. One of them had opened canisters that emitted a yellow-coloured smoke. They were overpowered by security forces and MPs and have since been arrested.
The parents of one of the accused, Amol Shinde, claim that their son was trying very hard to get into the Indian Army and was frustrated that he had crossed the age limit without making the cut. Another accused Neelam Azad’s parents have said that despite having cleared the National Eligibility Test, the Haryana Teacher Eligibility Test and an MPhil degree in Sanskrit, she has failed to secure a job.
Other four accused include Manoranjan, an engineer; Sagar Sharma, an e-rickshaw driver; Vishal Sharma, a driver; and Lalit Jha, a resident of Kolkata.
Since then, amid protests from Opposition MPs and the government’s allegations of “politicising the issue”, the parliament has been unable to function and 13 opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha have been suspended during these protests.
Opposition parties, including the Congress, have demanded a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament over the incident.
“Continuously for two days, INDIA parties have demanded the same thing. The home minister should come to both houses and give a statement. Then there will be some questions and a debate for a couple of hours. Then the parliament will function,” Jairam Ramesh, party’s general secretary in-charge of communications, said Friday.
Both Opposition and government benches have tried to put the blame of stalemate in Parliament on the other. While the government has blamed the Opposition for the ruckus in the parliament, Jairam Ramesh blamed the government for the stalemate.
“This (the demand) is not unusual. Whenever such an incident happens, the minister gives a statement. There has been a tradition that the minister gives a statement inside the parliament. But our home minister is so arrogant. He goes to a TV channel and gives a detailed statement but he is not ready to say the same inside parliament,” he added during the press briefing.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray)
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