NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said the Opposition’s decision to wear black clothes in Parliament symbolised both “protest and mourning”, alleging that the country was witnessing the “death of democracy”. Speaking to ANI, Tharoor accused the Centre of failing to address the concerns of protesting students and criticised the police action against them.The Congress leader also questioned the government’s handling of the ongoing protests in Jantar Mantar, saying authorities had allowed the situation to escalate instead of engaging with students. “This (black-coloured clothes) is protest and mourning as we can witness the death of democracy. Look, the fact is, politics has come into it. The moment an issue cannot be raised in Parliament and creates this kind of discussion, obviously politics also comes into it. But the real issue is the feelings of the students; they’re the future of the country. If they’re feeling betrayed and let down, there ought to be some opportunity to reach out to them,” Tharoor said.He said he was surprised by the government’s response to the protests. “I’m really surprised that the government has allowed matters to get out of hand like this and greeted the students with violence and lathi. That was really a bad idea. I just don’t understand the government’s attitude to all of this. Now they’re saying they’re willing for a discussion. But a discussion would depend on the kind of rule, the duration, the number of speakers, and so on, so that everyone can have an opportunity to properly ventilate their concerns and grievances,” he told ANI.Tharoor said he had visited the protesting students but chose not to address the gathering.”I went and saw the students yesterday. I didn’t go on the stage and I didn’t do any bhasans. I just wanted to listen to them and see what was in their minds.”Recounting what students had told him, the Congress MP said he heard several accounts of alleged police excesses. “I heard some very moving stories, very painful testimonies. A young man who was distributing water to the protesters was beaten up with lathis under the eye, on the head. A young girl was talking about being manhandled by male policemen. And these are very painful things. Many of them saw some fellows in plain clothes with sticks that had nails or screws hammered in them. This was quite shocking for them as well.”Questioning the restrictions imposed during the protests, Tharoor said he did not understand the rationale behind shutting down the Metro and parts of the city, adding that authorities were “creating a whole atmosphere that does not need to be created.”His remarks came a day after Congress leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several MPs, staged a protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence over the issue. The leaders were detained by the police during the demonstration and were later released.Speaking to ANI after the detention, Tharoor said, “What happened is absolutely wrong. This should not happen in a democracy. We need to raise the issues and the demands of the public.”
