Congress Urges Home Minister To Address Police Excesses, PM On “Chanda Chori” Issue

The Congress on Saturday accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of avoiding Parliament over alleged police excesses against protesting students and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respond to what the party termed the “chanda chori” issue. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that Parliament had not functioned normally for 15 consecutive days because the government had not addressed the opposition's concerns. He said the Home Minister should make a statement on the police action and answer questions from MPs.

In a post on X, Ramesh criticised what he described as the “boastful duo full of bluff and bluster”, alleging that they had now been exposed as “cowardly”. He claimed Shah had been present in his chamber but had not appeared before either the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha to respond to questions concerning police action against protesting youth and students. The Congress leader said the Home Minister should address the issue because the Delhi Police comes under the Union Home Ministry.

The Congress has particularly raised concerns over incidents involving student protesters, including the events of July 20. On that day, the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) “Sansad Chalo” march towards Parliament turned violent, with clashes reported between police and students. Ramesh also referred to police action against students protesting over the alleged NEET paper leak in Delhi. The Congress has maintained that the government must explain the circumstances surrounding the police response and address the concerns raised by opposition parties.

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Ramesh also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respond to allegations concerning what the Congress has termed the “Chanda Chori Aastha Dhoka” issue. He linked the matter to a trust whose creation Modi had announced in the Lok Sabha on February 5, 2020, and alleged that the trust had betrayed the faith of Indians. Ramesh said the Prime Minister should address the allegations in Parliament and argued that he should not remain silent on the matter. The allegations mentioned by the Congress have become another point of contention between the government and opposition during the ongoing session.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on July 20, with Congress and other opposition parties disrupting proceedings over the issues of police action against protesting students and the alleged irregularities involving temple donations. Ramesh said only four days remained in the session and urged the government to address the opposition's concerns. The Congress has insisted that the Home Minister first respond to allegations of police excesses, while also demanding a response from the Prime Minister on the donation-related allegations.

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