Parliament not functioning because of Modi, Shah; they're afraid of coming to House: Mallikarjun Kharge

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday asked why Union Home Minister Amit Shah was not making a statement on the "atrocities" against students and claimed that the government was responsible for both Houses of Parliament remaining paralysed.

Kharge said the opposition wants a debate but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah are "afraid" of coming to the House, which means they know that they have done something wrong.

"We want a debate. Why do they (government) not want to debate? They give a statement on other issues; why are they not giving a statement on this issue? We are only asking for a statement.


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"They do not have a reply to this and the House is not able to function because of them, the government is responsible, Prime Minister Modi is responsible, Home Minister Shah is responsible," the Congress chief told reporters in the Parliament House complex.

"For the past 17 days, we have been trying to get Amit Shah to come to the House and make a statement on the injustice and atrocities committed against the children," he said.

Instead of coming to the House to answer, Prime Minister Modi is making reels on Instagram at night, Kharge said and asked why the PM was "ignoring" Parliament.

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This is an "insult" to the MPs and also to the people, he said, alleging that the PM and the home minister do not want to run the House smoothly.

"Why are these people so afraid of coming to the House? It means they know they have done something wrong," Kharge charged.

The Modi government neither wants to solve the problems of the people nor provide solutions to students and the youth, he said.

"We are demanding that either come to the House and make a statement or if they don't want to make a statement in the House, then resign," he said.

Kharge accused Modi and Shah of running the government from home.

Modi-Shah sit in rooms and listen to everything and they instruct their people that as soon as the opposition stands up to speak, create chaos in the House, Kharge claimed.

"With great sorrow, I must say that the Chairman in the Rajya Sabha doesn't even let us raise our voices. He says he will give me time, I sit down trusting him, and then they adjourn the House. This is not good," he said.

The opposition has been demanding in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha a statement from Shah on the alleged police excesses during the July 20 student protest over the paper leak issue.

Both Houses of Parliament have remained deadlocked, with the opposition refusing to relent. Most of the legislative business is being conducted amid din.