Akhilesh Yadav said the real question was how the students were treated.
NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday accused the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla of denying his party a chance to speak on the NEET paper leak controversy in the House even as the government and the Congress were allowed to present their views.Akhilesh Yadav expressed frustration over what he described as unequal treatment of opposition parties as Lok Sabha reconvened amid repeated disruptions over the alleged NEET paper leak and police action against protesting students. “This is not an issue concerning the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, or the BJP. This is an issue concerning the youth and students,” fuming Akhilesh said in the House.Questioning the Speaker’s decision to allow interventions by the government and the Congress but not his party, the Samajwadi Party chief said, “You allowed them to speak. You called them. Have you reached some kind of understanding with them? Why didn’t you allow us to speak? We requested just one minute. Why was that denied?” Akhilesh Yadav had joined Rahul Gandhi-led Congress protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence a day earlier. Both the leaders, along with Priyanka Gandhi and other Congress MPs, were forcibly removed and detained by the police. The SP chief’s remarks in the House came shortly after parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju assured that the government was ready for a detailed discussion on the NEET paper leak, while Congress leader KC Venugopal reiterated the opposition’s demand for education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Akhilesh Yadav insisted the controversy transcended party politics and was fundamentally about the future of millions of students.”No, this is not the right approach. We are all fighting for the students. If their voices are not heard here, they will be forced to take to the streets,” he said.The SP chief also defended the protest outside PM residence, saying they became necessary because the issue was not being adequately addressed inside the House.”We were compelled to go to the Prime Minister’s residence. Had you allowed us to raise the issue in the House, we would not have gone there,” he said.Akhilesh Yadav also alleged that protesting students had faced excessive police action on June 20 during their Parliament march, claiming that they were beaten, their hands were broken and the clothes of women protesters were torn.”The real question is the way students were treated,” he said, arguing that the issue was bigger than demands for ministerial resignations.”The government can ask a minister to resign whenever it wants… That is not the issue,” he said.He also questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not made a statement in Parliament on the controversy.”Can the Prime Minister not make a statement for the youth? If he can speak outside the House, why can’t he speak inside Parliament?” he asked.
