Parliament security breach: Opposition demands statement from Home Minister Amit Shah

PTI, Dec 14, 2023, 8:46 PM IST

Leaders of various opposition parties Thursday demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah make a statement on the issue of the Parliament security breach followed by a discussion on the matter in both Houses.

The demand was raised in both houses of Parliament and also outside by leaders of various parties while protesting against the breach. They stressed that the security of Parliament was important and needed to be discussed.

”In view of the gravity of the situation adversely impacting upon the security of the institution of Parliament and Parliamentarians, on behalf of the opposition and INDIA parties, we demand that a statement of Union Home Minister on this serious matter be followed by a discussion in regard to urgent remedial security measures in the abode of Democracy,” Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X after a meeting of opposition parties in the morning.

”Is it a crime to urge the Union Home Minister to make a statement in the House? Is it a crime to want a discussion on the perilous security breach? Does it not invoke draconian shades of dictatorship, a hallmark of the present dispensation?” he asked after 14 MPs were suspended.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the INDIA bloc parties demand a detailed statement by the home minister in both Houses, followed by a discussion on the security breach witnessed in the Lok Sabha. The demands also include strict action against BJP MP Pratap Simha who provided the visitor passes to the intruders.

”The (Narendra) Modi government’s refusal to accept these perfectly legitimate and reasonable demands has led to the adjournment of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha today morning,” he added.

Ramesh said their only demand was the home minister should come to the House and give a statement. The security lapse that happened yesterday is a very serious matter, he said.

”We made the demand yesterday also, we are making the demand even today and will make the same demand in future also. The biggest issue facing the country today is — how and why did all this happen? But PM Modi and the home minister are silent on this. They should come to both Houses and give statements.

”All opposition parties want the home minister to come and give a statement and after that, the House will function. This dictatorial government does not find it acceptable… Unless the home minister comes to the House and makes a statement, there are very slim chances for the House to function,” Ramesh said.

Congress MP Manish Tewari said a Joint Committee of Parliament comprising members who have prior experience in policing, security and law must be set up to concurrently investigate the breach.

”Just as a Select Committee of the US Congress independently investigated the Jan 6, 2021, Capitol Hill security breach, similarly the Indian parliament must enquire into the entire incident independently and make appropriate recommendations to ensure that security and safety of the members and the staffers of Parliament is maintained at the highest level possible. ”Both Houses must rise above partisan divides and not allow the implications of what could have happened yesterday be lost in a he said-she said finger-pointing,” Tewari said.

His party colleague Shashi Tharoor said, ”If you can smuggle in the smoke canisters, then you can easily smuggle in something far more serious. The issue is the security lapses. The problem the MPs have is the feeling that the government is not taking this seriously enough.” ”The government is accountable because they are responsible for the entire change (Parliament building). So we must hear from the government. We want the Home Minister to come and address Parliament,” he said.

”This is a massive security lapse. Despite knowing that there was a threat, no attention was paid. This is a question of the lives of MPs, what could be more important than this?” posed Samajwadi Party MP S T Hasan.

AAP MP Sushil Kumar Rinku said the lapse in security arrangements should be seriously looked into and it should be made sure that such incidents do not recur.

Karti Chidambaram of the Congress termed Wednesday’s security breach incident a ”colossal failure of systems”.

”We are only expecting a statement from either the PM or the home minister. Come and give us a status report, take the confidence of the House and tell us what happened. But the government is adamant about not coming and making a statement,” he said.

Several Congress MPs, including Kharge, had given notices for adjournment in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to discuss the issue while setting aside all other business of the House. But those were rejected by the chair.

While Congress MP and whip Manickam Tagore has given an adjournment notice in Lok Sabha, party MP and whip in Rajya Sabha Naseer Hussain gave a similar adjournment notice under Rule 267 for discussing the issue.

Some parties are also contemplating meeting President Droupadi Murmu on the security issue and seeking her intervention as it involves the security of all MPs.