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New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, August 12, declared that he is ready to answer “everything” so the truth can “finally” be revealed and the matter made clear to the country.

Speaking to reporters outside his Parliament residence, Shah clarified that he has been coming to Parliament “regularly” since the Monsoon Session began on July 20. However, the minister said he has been sitting in his chambers since the Opposition has repeatedly restricted the proceedings from functioning in either house.

“First of all, terms like ‘laapata (missing)’, ‘bhaag gaye (ran away)’, ‘bhagode (fugitives)’ are the kind of language increasingly being heard in India’s public and parliamentary life,” Shah said, responding to a question about the Opposition’s protest against his absence in the house.

‘Koi jaakar kya karega?’

“I have been coming to Parliament regularly since the session began; I sit in my chamber because the Opposition is not allowing Parliament to function, in either House. What is one supposed to do?” Shah said.

As for the discussion, the Home Minister said the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, has “made it very clear” that the government is ready to discuss the NEET student protests.

“We asked for a time to be fixed and for the Opposition to be ready. That was their initial demand, and we agreed to it,” Shah said. He claimed he also stated that he was ready to answer “any question in Parliament,” and attacked the Opposition for not letting a discussion take place.

“Now let the public decide who is running away,” he told the media.

‘Let the Opposition submit a letter to Speaker, will answer everything’

The Home Minister challenged the Opposition MPs to submit a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla before 2 pm, as he is ready to respond to every query in Parliament from 3 pm today.

“Let them submit a letter to the Speaker by 3:00 pm today. We are ready for a discussion on all aspects from 3:00 pm today until 3:00 pm tomorrow,” he said.

Shah said he will be in the House, listen to everyone and respond to every point. “The government has nothing to hide,” he asserted. “I will even discuss why they did not want the discussion to happen.”

The minister said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are ready to discuss all issues.

To the Opposition, Shah said the Parliament functions on the basis of set rules and that they must allow it to function accordingly. “They must decide if they want to hold a discussion or create a ruckus.”

Opposition not interested in listening to Home Minister’s ‘lecture’ in Parliament: Rahul

Responding to the statements, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Opposition is not interested in listening to Shah’s “lecture” in Parliament, and asserted that the younger generation of the country wants to know who ordered that protesting students be shot at with pellet guns.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said if Shah ordered that students be shot at, he is culpable, and if he did not, then he is incompetent, and in both cases he should resign.

Gandhi said Shah’s image “balloon” had been deflated and there was a last-ditch attempt to fill gas in it but “the balloon has burst”.

“Amit Shah has no courage; he cannot come to the House,” he said.