Sack ‘criminal’ minister, says Rahul Gandhi as Opposition piles pressure over Ajay Misra

Opposition party leaders in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha attended the protest march on December 14 from Parliament to Vijay Chowk in the national capital to protest against the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi again demanded the sacking of the minister of state for home Ajay Misra Teni, calling him a “criminal” over his son’s alleged involvement in the Lakimpuri Kheri violence, as the opposition continued to pile pressure over the government.

Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 2pm amid uproar by the Opposition that also demanded a debate over Lakhimpur Kheri incident and the rollback of suspension of 12 MPs.

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“The murder that has taken place in Lakhimpur Kheri and the minister who is involved in this and where it is being said that it is a conspiracy, we should be allowed to speak," Gandhi said despite repeated requested by Lok Sabha speaker to ask a question instead.

"I am asking… His involvement and the conspiracy. He should be punished. This minister should be sacked.. He is a criminal and action should be taken against him," Gandhi said as his party colleagues and other Opposition members raised slogans and displayed placards.

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Eight people, including farmers, were killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3 after being knocked down by a vehicle allegedly driven by Ashish Misra, the son of Ajay Misra Teni. Ashish is in jail in connection with the violence.

While the Opposition has been unrelenting in its demand for a debate on the issue and sacking of the minister, the government has said the debate was not possible since the matter was sub judice.

"A Supreme Court-monitored investigation is going on in the Lakhimpur Kheri case. Parliament is a place for discussions. We want to take constructive suggestions from the Opposition. We call them for discussions but they refuse," parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi told news agency ANI.

Also read: Lakhimpur Kheri violence sparks political storm in UP

The Opposition had staged protests in the Lok Sabha on December 15, a day after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case said that the killing of farmers was “pre-planned” and wrote to the judge seeking modification in the charges against the accused. Many Opposition MPs had served adjournment notices in both Houses calling for debates on the SIT report.

On December 14, senior Opposition leaders met Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi to chalk out a strategy for the ongoing winter session.

The government’s refusal to sack Ajay Mishra Teni is the starkest indication of its moral bankruptcy. @narendramodi ji, carefully curated spectacles of piety and wearing religious attire will not change the fact that you are protecting a criminal.. 1/2

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) December 16, 2021

The demand for Teni’s removal comes ahead of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections due in early 2022. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is leading the party’s poll preparations in UP, too slammed the government for "protecting a criminal".