Congress MP K C Venugopal wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday, urging him to demand Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on the floor of the House on the “police brutalities” against protesting students.
In his letter to Birla, Venugopal said Shah must be compelled to make a comprehensive statement and answer questions on the floor of the House regarding the “police atrocities and the use of pellet guns against the youth and students in Delhi”.
“I am writing to draw your attention to the deeply distressing reports of police brutality and the disproportionate use of force, including the firing of pellet guns, against protesting students and youth in Delhi,” Venugopal said.
The heavy-handed action by the law enforcement agencies against young citizens exercising their democratic rights is a matter of grave national concern that demands immediate parliamentary scrutiny, the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee said.
As the Delhi Police functions directly under the Ministry of Home Affairs, the ultimate responsibility for these actions rests with the Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah, Venugopal said in his letter to Birla.
“Under the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules formulated by the Hon’ble President under Article 77 of the Constitution, the Home Minister is fundamentally in charge of all matters falling under the purview of his ministry Furthermore, Article 75(3) of the Constitution expressly mandates that the Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the House of the People,” he said.
This foundational principle of our parliamentary democracy ensures that the Executive remains entirely answerable to the Legislature for every action taken under its command, Venugopal said.
Consequently, it is the clear constitutional duty of the Home Minister to appear before this House and answer for the actions of the police force under his ministry’s jurisdiction, he argued.
“As the custodian of the rights and privileges of this House, you are vested with the inherent powers to ensure that the Executive remains accountable to Parliament,” Venugopal said.
By invoking the mandate of Article 77 read in conjunction with Article 75, the Chair holds the authority to direct the Home Minister to attend the House, he said.
If the Minister does not present himself voluntarily to address a matter of such magnitude, it becomes the duty of the Speaker to ensure his presence to uphold the sanctity of parliamentary accountability, the Congress general secretary organisation said.
“Therefore, on behalf of the opposition, I earnestly urge you to exercise your inherent powers under these provisions of the Constitution and direct the Minister of Home Affairs to immediately come to the House,” Venugopal said.
“Anticipating your prompt and affirmative action in upholding the democratic traditions of this House,” Venugopal said in his letter to Birla.
Sharing his letter to Birla on X, Venugopal said, “Wrote to the Hon’ble Lok Sabha Speaker urging him to demand Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on the police brutalities on students – on the floor of the House.”
“The Delhi Police and the CRPF, which were at the forefront of the violence against students, report to his Ministry,” the Congress leader said.
“Our Constitution clearly states that the Council of Ministers (of which he is a senior member) are collectively responsible to the people of the country. It is, therefore, his Constitutional obligation to give a statement on this matter in Parliament. He must be compelled to speak on this issue in the Lok Sabha,” Venugopal said.
The opposition has been demanding in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha that that Shah must come to Parliament and make a statement on the alleged police excesses during the July 20 student protest over the paper leak issue.
Both Houses of Parliament have remained deadlocked over the Opposition’s demands with most of the legislative business being conducted amid din.
