Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 22 (ANI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday expressed dismay over the fact that the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had to stage an eight-hour sit-in at a Delhi police station just to get an FIR registered regarding the use of pellet guns against protesters.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Kharge said, "It is extremely unfortunate that the LoP had to sit for eight straight hours to get an FIR lodged against unknown persons, despite everyone knowing who fired the pellet guns. It is unfortunate that there is no space for the common man to seek justice in a Delhi police station. If Rahul Gandhi's intervention is required just to lodge a complaint, imagine the plight of ordinary citizens who were subjected to tear gas and pellet guns."
He further accused PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of avoiding discussions in Parliament, stating, "If the BJP had even the slightest bit of shame, they would have ordered an independent inquiry right then; they don't care because they are the ones who are guilty. Right now, Amit Shah Ji and Modi Ji are so rattled that they did not even have the courage to come and answer in Parliament. An FIR is a far-off thing."
The FIR was finally registered by Delhi Police on Friday evening under Sections 118 and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), following Rahul Gandhi's sit-in protest at Parliament Street police station demanding action on Lochab's complaint.
The victim had alleged that his complaint was not being registered despite suffering injuries after pellet gun firing at Connaught Place on July 20. He claimed that he underwent surgery at AIIMS, but his vision remained affected.
Launching a sharp attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government, Kharge also termed the ongoing controversy surrounding Vande Mataram a deliberate diversionary tactic manufactured to deflect public attention from pressing economic issues, unemployment, and police action against protesting students.
Kharge added, "Vande Mataram is a tactic to divert from the Jantar Mantar protest, from RSS misgivings, from unemployment and economic distress. What is the rupee vs dollar rate today? 98 rupees. This is what they're doing. The US trade deal where we have to buy 500 billion dollars worth of goods from America. All this is to divert that. One FIR is a diversion from Vande Mataram, is it? And who are these people to tell us about Vande Mataram? Where were the BJP and RSS during the freedom struggle? In 1937, when Pandit Nehru, Netaji Bose, Rabindranath Tagore ji, Sardar Patel ji discussed it, it was discussed in the Constituent Assembly. Does that mean all these people are also anti-nationals?"
Throwing a direct challenge to the top BJP leadership, Kharge said, "If they are truly patriotic, let Amit Shah and PM Modi go to Nagpur and tell RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to drop 'Namaste Sada Vatsale' (the RSS song) and ensure Vande Mataram is sung in all RSS shakhas with folded hands before the tricolour. I challenge PM Modi, Amit Shah, and the entire BJP Cabinet to sing our national song fully, including the last two stanzas, without a teleprompter--I will resign if they can do it."
Responding to queries regarding the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) reportedly seeking permission for the prosecution of former Karnataka minister B Nagendra, Kharge clarified that the state government has not received any formal request.
"We do not know on what basis the CBI has approached. They should approach the state government first. We have not received any request for prosecution sanction. They had earlier only written seeking staff for investigation," he said.
Taking a swipe at the BJP's planned padayatra in Karnataka, the minister alleged that the opposition was using the march to mask internal rift and leadership battles between BJP state president BY Vijayendra and Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka, while avoiding meaningful debates in the state assembly.
Briefly addressing reports regarding a missing IAS officer, Kharge noted, "No complaint has been received from his family. He was last seen at the airport. His whereabouts are currently unknown, and a search is underway." (ANI)
"Unfortunate that LoP Rahul Gandhi had to sit for 8 hours just to get an FIR filed": Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge
