Mallikarjun Kharge reiterates demand for Home Minister’s statement on Parliament security breach

New Delhi [India], December 16 (ANI): Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday reiterated the demand for a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah in the House on the issue of a security breach in which two men jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitor’s gallery.

Hitting out at the BJP-led central government over the massive security breach, the Congress President said that the BJP leaders are not ready to let the House function.

“It is a serious issue and the government should pay attention to it. We are repeatedly saying in Parliament that the Union Home Minister should come to the House and give a statement but he does not want to come. They (BJP) are not ready to let the House function. This is not a good thing for democracy but there is no point in talking to people who do not believe in democracy,” Kharge told ANI.

When asked about the allegations against the opposition for playing politics over the incident, Kharge said that the BJP’s job is to abuse the Congress and get votes.

“They (BJP) seek votes by taking the name of Congress. They abuse Nehru ji and Gandhi ji to get votes. Their job is to abuse us and get votes,” the Congress leader said.

Meanwhile, firing a fresh salvo at the BJP-led central government over the massive security breach in Parliament, senior Congress leader KC Venugopal on Saturday said it wasn’t the opposition members but Delhi Police that politicised the incident after labelling it as a terror attack.

Addressing a media briefing at the AICC headquarters in the national capital on Saturday, the Congress leader said Delhi Police, which reports to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, called the security breach on December 13, Wednesday, a terror attack.

“Delhi Police called it (parliament security breach) a terror attack. It comes under the Union Home Minister, doesn’t it? We (Opposition members) didn’t politicise the incident, we didn’t call it a terror attack. We only put forward our concerns over the glaring lapse in security from the government side,” Venugopal said at the media briefing on Saturday.

Questioning the suspension of 13 Congress MPs from the Parliament on grounds of misconduct, the Congress national general secretary said, “You (Centre) people told us that this (new Parliament) building would be the safest place in the world. And, what happened the other day was because of lax security. Members (in the Opposition) are being penalised for raising their voices against the government. For what reasons were 14 (Opposition) MPs suspended?”

Along with 13 Congress members, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien was also suspended by House Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar for the remainder of the ongoing Winter Session.

A day after 13 opposition MPs were suspended for over-ruckus on their demands following the December 13 breach of security in Lok Sabha, the two Houses were adjourned on Friday without transacting any business.

The Special Cell of Delhi Police apprised the Patiala House Court that mastermind Lalit Jha disclosed that all the accused in the parliament security breach incident met many times and executed the conspiracy.

Delhi Police, while producing Jha before the concerned judge, informed that accused Lalit Jha has disclosed that accused persons, including him, wanted to create anarchy in the country so that they could compel the government to meet their demands.

The Special Cell of Delhi Police, conducting an investigation into the Parliament security breach case, has detained two more people following their suspected association with five arrested in the case.

Delhi’s Patiala House Court on Thursday granted seven days custodial remand of all four accused persons Neelam, Amol, Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan arrested in connection with the Parliament security breach matter.

The security breach happened on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack. Two people–Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D–jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted anti-establishment slogans before being overpowered by the MPs. Outside it, in another incident, two protestors–Neelam (42) and Amol (25)–protested outside the Parliament with similar gas canisters.