New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said unemployment and rising prices were behind the December 13 Parliament security breach.
Speaking to reporters after an election strategy meeting with leaders of the party's Gujarat unit here, Gandhi said it's the youngsters who are not getting jobs due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies who breached Parliament security.
He said the breach was the eruption of an anger long simmering among the youth.
"The biggest issue in the country is that of unemployment, which is boiling all over the country. The country's youth are not getting employment due to the policies of Modi ji," he said.
BJP derided Gandhi saying he "always talks trash" and claimed that unemployment was at its lowest in the last six years.
"Rahul Gandhi never disappoints; always talks trash. For the record, unemployment in India is at 3.2%, the lowest in six years.
"Instead, Rahul Gandhi and I.N.D.I Alliance leaders must explain the close linkages of those involved in the Parliament breach with Congress, TMC, and CPI(M). Rahul Gandhi, in particular, must clarify his association with Asim Sarode, who was part of Bharat Jodo Yatra and has offered to provide legal aide to the intruders," BJP IT in-charge Amit Malviya said in a post on X.
In another post, he highlighted Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu's corruption with caption "Don't 'Donate for Dynasty.'" Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the breach was a serious issue yet the Union Home Minister is not ready to give a statement on it in Parliament.
"The security breach is a serious issue and the government should pay attention to it. We are asking for the Home Minister's statement in Parliament, but the Home Minister is not saying anything, neither is he giving a statement. He is speaking in TV shows, but not inside Parliament.
"This is not good for democracy. But there is no meaning of this to those people who do not believe in democracy," Kharge told reporters.
In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack on Wednesday, two men jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow smoke from canisters and shouted slogans, before they were overpowered by the MPs.
"Where are the jobs? The youths are desperate. We have to focus on this issue and give jobs to the youth," Gandhi also said in a Hindi post on X.
"There has definitely been a security lapse, but the reason behind it is the country's biggest issue - unemployment," Gandhi said.
Kharge when asked about Amit Shah accusing the Congress of politicising the issue, said, "Home Minister Shah talks about us to seek votes and abuses Nehru ji to seek votes. This is all they do." AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said it was not the Congress but the BJP which was trying to get political mileage from the incident.
The Delhi Police, which comes under the Union Home Ministry, described it as a "terror attack" in a court and the Opposition has only been seeking a discussion on it in Parliament, he said.
Venugopal said that while the MP who facilitated the entry of the accused in Parliament was not even questioned, those seeking answers from the government had been suspended.
"The Opposition is not politicising the Parliament security issue, but the BJP and the Home Minister and Prime Minister are. The Home Minister is telling us that the issue comes under Parliament, under the Speaker.
"Delhi Police is under the Home Minister of India, isn't it? Delhi Police has given an affidavit in the court that it is a terror attack. We didn't politicise it. We didn't make it a terror attack. We said it is a serious security lapse from the government side," Venugopal said.
The leader also took a dig at the BJP-led Centre saying it had claimed the new Parliament building will be one of the "most secure places" and accused it of opening the government coffers for its construction even as the country reeled under an economic slowdown. He also criticised the government over the MPs suspension.
"On one side, you are penalising all the members of Parliament, those who are raising the voice. You suspended 15 MPs. For what reason did you suspend 15 MPs? In this Parliament, suspension of the members has become the major role of the Presiding officer.
"People may think that those who are talking about national security … they cannot even protect the Parliament House. People are worried about this," Venugopal said.
On December 13, two men -- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D -- jumped into the Lok Sabha's chamber. Around the same time, two others -- Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi -- released coloured smoke from canisters while shouting "tanashahi nahi chalegi" outside the Parliament premises.
Lalit Jha, the fifth accused, allegedly circulated videos of the protest outside the complex on social media. All five have been arrested.
The Opposition has been seeking answers from the government on the security breach and have demanded a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue in Parliament. They have also been disrupting proceedings over Shah's silence.
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