New Delhi: The BJP Wednesday defended the Centre’s handling of the Cockroach Janta Party-led agitation, saying the government remained sensitive to what has been projected as a student movement and was always open to dialogue.
The ruling party also accused LoP Rahul Gandhi and other opposition parties of trying to derive political mileage from the protests and further said the narrative that India’s examination system has collapsed was false.
Addressing a press conference, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj said the movement launched by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was projected as a student movement and the government’s approach towards it has remained sensitive.
She said when CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke returned from the United States June 6, the Delhi Police allowed him to proceed from the airport and did not object to the protest till 5 pm.
She said the protesters continued their sit-in at Jantar Mantar even after the permission expired and the Delhi Police did not remove them.
Swaraj alleged that an attempt was made to gherao Parliament on July 20 without permission.
July 20, an attempt was made to surround Parliament. It is a sign of anarchy. Even when an attempt was made to surround Parliament without any permission, the government remained ready for dialogue, she said.
She claimed that between June 6 and 20, there was no request or message from the protesters seeking talks with the government.
From June 6 until July 20, there had been no request or message seeking dialogue. However, as soon as they sent a message, the government immediately invited them to meet and hold discussions with J P Nadda ji, she claimed.
Swaraj said the protesters were requested to withdraw the agitation during the meeting and were asked to submit their demands in writing as they had not brought any written memorandum.
She also rejected allegations that they had been deliberately made to wait, claiming it was the protesters’ delegation that took nearly two-and-a-half hours to prepare the written memorandum while the government waited.
Swaraj alleged that after meeting Nadda, the protesters assured the government they would not continue the agitation but failed to keep their word.
When the protest began, they started spreading not one or two but countless false narratives. They tried to spread different kinds of fake news, she alleged.
She claimed that social media posts alleging that Sonam Wangchuk’s wife Geetanjali Angmo was manhandled, that Dipke had been arrested, that a 12-year-old girl had suffered a head injury and that the protest stage had been removed were false.
Fact-checking showed these claims were false. It appeared to be a deliberate attempt to spread a false narrative on social media and incite the protesters, she alleged.
Targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the BJP MP alleged that he chose protest over parliamentary debate.
Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi did not go to Jantar Mantar. Instead, he sat outside the prime minister’s residence. Everyone knows the prime minister’s residence is a high-security zone. Rahul Gandhi himself should know this because he spent his childhood there, she said.
She alleged that the opposition is shirking its responsibility, noting that it was the MPs from the Treasury Benches who submitted the notice for a discussion under Rule 193, whereas the opposition never sought such a discussion.
He (Gandhi) had the forum of Parliament to raise the issue. But the opposition does not want to play the role of a responsible opposition; it only wants to create disruption, Swaraj alleged.
She also accused opposition parties of fighting over credit for the agitation.
Yesterday, you also saw that the opposition itself is not united. A blame game over who gets credit for the movement has begun among opposition parties — ‘my movement versus your movement’, she said.
This shows that the movement is not really about students’ interests. It is merely an example of political opportunism, Swaraj alleged.
She appealed to the opposition not to politicise the issue and to put students’ interests first.
Referring to recent examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), Swaraj said the agency had successfully conducted three national-level examinations in the last three months.
JEE, CUET and the NEET re-examination have been held. Therefore, to say that India’s education system, especially the examination system, has collapsed is completely false. It is an untruth. It is a misconception that is being spread, she said.
Swaraj said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government place students’ interests above everything else, adding that protecting their future is their foremost priority.