New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS): Amid the demands from the opposition parties for a detailed statememt over the December 13 Parliament security breach, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first remarks has dubbed the incident as "very serious" and said that a detailed probe should be carried out to find out which elements are behind it.
The Prime Minister said that the seriousness of this incident should not be downplayed.
"The (Lok Sabha) Speaker (Om Birla) is taking all the necessary steps. Probe agencies are investigating the matter. It is important to find out which elements are behind this and what their objectives are. There is no need to debate this, there should be a detailed investigation into this," Modi told Dainik Jagran newspaper in an interview.
On December 13, on the 22nd anniversary of 2001 Parliament attack, two people jumped from the visitor's gallery of Lok Sabha during the Zero Hour proceedings and also sprayed a yellow colour smoke.
They were caught by the MPs and security personnel and handed over to Delhi Police. Delhi Police also arrested two more people from outside Parliament.
Till now six people have been arrested in connection with the case.
On Saturday, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah for not making a statement in Parliament over the December 13 security breach and also said that they keep on ridiculing first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi to seek votes as it is their habit.
Speaking to the media at the party headquarters here, Kharge said, "This security breach is a serious issue and the government is not focusing on it. We are repeatedly asking in Parliament that Home Minister should give a statement in Parliament over the security breach."
"But the Home Minister do not want to come to the House and do not want to make a statement on what happened and what were the reasons. But he goes in the television shows and make the statement for hours and cannot make a statement for five minutes. He is not ready to run the House. This is not good. And those who do not believe in democracy, we have nothing to expect from them," the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said.
On Saturday, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi for the first time slammed the BJP government at the Centre over the Parliament securiry besach and said that unemployment and inflation are the main reasons behind the security breach.
Gandhi said, "Unemployment is a big reason in the country. And due to policies of the Modi government, youths are not getting employment opportunities."
"(Security) Breach has happened and main reason behind this is unemployment and inflation," he said.
The BJP hit back saying that he and INDIA bloc leaders must explain the close linkages of those involved in the Parliament breach with Congress, TMC, and CPI(M).
In a post on X, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said, “Rahul Gandhi never disappoints, always talks trash. For the record, unemployment in India is at 3.2 per cent, the lowest in six years.”
Slamming the Congress and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc parties, Malviya said, “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.”
The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha had witnessed several adjournment on Thursday and Friday over the opposotion demands.
Fourteen MPs -- 13 from Lok Sabha and one from Rajya Sabha -- were also suspended for raising the security breach issue in the House for remainder of the session.