New Delhi: Addressing the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Home Minister Amit Shah rejected the claim by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury that he sat on Rabindranath Tagore’s chair during his visit to Visva Bharati.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had on Monday claimed in the House that Amit Shah during his visit to West Bengal’s Shantiniketan sat on Tagore’s chair.
As Amit Shah produced documents to support his statement and sought Speaker Om Birla’s permission to lay them before the House, he said the record pertaining to this should be set right.
Amit Shah said, “I have a letter from Visva Bharati’s Vice Chancellor where I have sought clarification from him and tell me after analysing the photos and videos whether I sat (on Tagore’s chair) there or not.”
“He has very clearly stated that nothing of this sort has happened. The reference to the place I sat is a window and anyone can sit there,” Amit Shah said.
Amit Shah said that “a former president of the country, (another former President) Pranab Mukherjee, (former Prime Minister) Rajiv Gandhi…and even I sat there (window)”.
उन्होंने स्पष्ट किया है कि ऐसी कोई घटना नहीं हुई है। जहां पर मेरे बैठने का जिक्र है, वो एक खिड़की है, जहां सभी के बैठने की व्यवस्था है।
उसी स्थान पर पूर्व राष्ट्रपति भी बैठीं थीं, प्रणब दा भी बैठे थे, श्री राजीव गांधी भी बैठे थे, मैं भी वहीं बैठा हूं।
– श्री @AmitShah pic.twitter.com/m6sGylkzf2
— BJP (@BJP4India) February 9, 2021
“And when Bangladesh’s Prime Minister paid a visit, she also sat at the same place and penned her comments,” Amit Shah said.
Amit Shah said before speaking in the House, members should ascertain the facts.
“It hurts the dignity of the House if something lifted from the social media is stated here,” he said, adding the member who made the remarks committed the mistake due to the background of his party.
“I did not sit there. But Jawaharlal Nehru sat on the same seat where Tagore used to sit. This is on record and the second photograph is of Rajiv Gandhi who is sitting on Tagore’s sofa having tea,” Amit Shah said with photographs to support his rebuttal.
मैं तो उस कुर्सी पर नहीं बैठा, लेकिन मेरे पास दो फोटो हैं, जिसमें एक पर जवाहर लाल नेहरू जी उस कुर्सी पर बैठे दिख रहे हैं।
दूसरी फोटो में राजीव गांधी टैगोर साहब के सोफे पर बैठकर चाय पीते दिख रहे हैं।
– श्री @AmitShah pic.twitter.com/Z9Nns3eJ7W
— BJP (@BJP4India) February 9, 2021
Amit Shah also rejected certain claims made by Chowdhury against BJP president JP Nadda. He said since Nadda is not a member of the House, he should not have been named.
(With inputs from PTI)