A month after his sudden dharna outside the Prime Minister’s residence over students’ protests , Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s unannounced protest outside the Parliament Street police station to get an FIR registered on a complaint by pellet-gun victim Sahil Lochav reveals a new political strategy.
Mr. Gandhi, however, sought to shift the political focus from the nationalism debate to the use of pellet guns against protesting students and, crucially, to the role of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which Mr. Shah heads. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal both sought to frame the registration of the FIR as a consequence of Mr. Gandhi’s intervention. “Those shedding crocodile tears over nationalism are, in reality, the biggest enemies of the country’s youth! Mr. “Sahil is not alone. Shri Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party stand with every affected youth,” he added. Mr. “They have bent. Gandhi protested for hours demanding action over Mr. Lochav’s pellet injuries. Finally, Mr. Gandhi is seeking to weave the question of accountability of the Home Ministry into the larger political debate over students’ grievances.
The Congress’s escalation came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah sharpened his attack on the party over its decision to sing only two stanzas of Vande Mataram , describing the move as “anti-national”. Kharge said in a post on X. Venugopal said basic constitutional rights were being granted as “favours” only after massive pressure was applied. They were forced to bend,” he said in a post on X, claiming that the Delhi Police was compelled to register the FIR after Mr.
