Gandhinagar, Aug 11 (IANS) Gujarat Cabinet Minister Jitu Vaghani on Tuesday questioned Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his response to student protests in Jharkhand, asking why a leader who raises students’ issues at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar did not “see the pain” of students protesting in Jharkhand.
Addressing a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state office in Gandhinagar, Vaghani alleged that students in Jharkhand had been subjected to “atrocities” while peacefully raising concerns over their future, competitive examinations and irregularities in recruitment, including paper leaks.
“Why does Rahul Gandhi, who politicises students’ issues at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, not see the pain of students in Jharkhand?” Vaghani asked.
He alleged Gandhi had “different standards for Delhi and Jharkhand”, claiming that students were being treated harshly under the Congress–Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) coalition government.
Vaghani said the students had been putting forward their demands in a peaceful and disciplined manner, without indecent behaviour or abusive language. He referred to reports of the use of barbed wire, lathi charges, tear gas and water cannons against the protesters, describing such treatment as “extremely serious and condemnable”.
He said the alleged treatment of students in Jharkhand raised questions about Gandhi’s silence.
“The youth of the country have recognised Rahul Gandhi and Congress’s double standards, selective politics and insensitivity,” he said, adding that issues concerning young people’s future and rights should be addressed with sensitivity and responsibility rather than “selective politics”.
Vaghani also criticised the alleged mistreatment of journalists covering the student protests in Jharkhand.
“Videos had emerged showing journalists who had gone there to perform their duties being treated improperly. The media is an important pillar of democracy. Any attempt to prevent journalists from performing their duty is condemnable,” he said.
On examination‑related irregularities, Vaghani said anyone compromising the future of young people should face strict action.
He noted that the Union government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had introduced stringent legal provisions against serious offences such as paper leaks and provided for strict punishment for those found guilty.
He asked why similar mechanisms had not been created during previous Congress governments.
Vaghani also turned his criticism towards the Opposition’s conduct in the ongoing Parliament session. He said Union ministers J.P. Nadda, Kiren Rijiju and Piyush Goyal had stated that the government was ready to respond to issues raised in Parliament. He specifically said Home Minister Amit Shah was ready to give a reply.
“When the government is ready for discussion and to give answers, why is Congress disrupting the proceedings of Parliament?” he asked.
He alleged that Congress had been disrupting parliamentary proceedings for the past 15 days and preventing discussion on important national issues. Parliament, he said, was a “sacred temple of democracy” where matters concerning citizens, government policies and issues of national importance should be debated.
Vaghani accused Gandhi of spreading misinformation, referring to an alleged claim that firing had taken place at Jantar Mantar. He said BJP president J.P. Nadda had stated that not a single shot had been fired there.
He alleged Congress did not want Parliament to function or Shah to respond because a debate would expose what he described as Gandhi’s “false and misleading” claims.
“If the Opposition has questions, they should raise them in Parliament according to the rules and constitutional provisions. If there is no discussion in Parliament, where will the discussion take place?” Vaghani said.
He said people wanted to see their elected representatives discuss national issues in Parliament rather than obstruct its proceedings.
“Repeatedly changing the issue, making misleading claims and diverting public attention from the core question of the discussion has become Congress’s politics,” he said.
Vaghani demanded that Gandhi and Congress apologise for what he described as “brutal atrocities” against students in Jharkhand by the Congress–JMM coalition government.
–IANS
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