New Delhi: The Opposition leaders on Wednesday blasted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the massive security breach in the Parliament. They attacked the ruling party as one of the two intruders, who caused the breach, had entered the Parliament on a visitor's pass issued in the name of BJP MP from Mysuru Pratap Simha.
Earlier today, two persons, identified as Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan, jumped down the visitors' gallery into the Lok Sabha chamber carrying gas canisters, triggering a security scare as the House was in session.
According to PTI, Sharma’s pass was issued on the reference of Pratap Simha, the BJP MP from Karnataka’s Mysuru.
Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress put out a post showing the picture of Prime Minister and Pratap Simha saying, "Infiltration in Parliament on the pass of BJP MP Pratap Simha".
"'Na hi wahan koi ghus aaya hai, na hi wahan kisi ne kisi ko ghusaya hai' (Neither has anyone entered there, now has anyone allowed anyone to enter there)," the caption on the picture said in an apparent reference to prime minister's words during an all-party meet after Chinese intrusions on the border in Eastern Ladakh, reported PTI.
In a post on platform X, party president Mallikarjun Kharge said the security breach that took place in Parliament is a very serious matter.
"We demand that the Home Minister should come to both the Houses and give a statement on this. The question is, how did two people come inside such a big security department and release gas from a canister there," he said.
"Today, on Martyr's Day, we paid tribute to the brave security personnel who lost their lives in the attack on Parliament 22 years ago. We hope that the government will take this very seriously. We demand a thorough investigation into the entire incident. We always want unity and integrity of the country," he further wrote.
Speaking to ANI, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said, "They should call and ask the MPs who caught them and are eyewitnesses...The government is trying to brush this breach, this gross negligence under the carpet...It was proved today that there are no security preparations. By God's grace, nothing happened to anyone...They should question the BJP MP on whose passes they came in. He is the first link and the government is not working on the first link."
Congress MP Danish Ali said that BJP MP Pratap Simha issued a pass to one of the persons who breached security in Parliament.
TMC MP Saket Gokhale posted a video on X where he blamed BJP MP Pratap Simha for jeopardizing the security of the Parliament and demanded immediate action against the "appalling act."
Meanwhile, Trinamool MP Dola Sen cited Mahua Moitra's expulsion to seek action against Prathap Simha who facilitated passes to one of the Lok Sabha intruders.
Narrating the security breach incident, Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, who caught hold of the two men, said, "He had something in his hand which was emitting yellow-coloured smoke. I snatched it away and continued throwing it outside...This is a major security breach."
Around the same time of the attack in the House, a man, and a woman also sprayed coloured gas from canisters while shouting slogans 'tanashahi nahi chalegi' outside the Parliament premises.
All four of them have been held by the police and an investigation is underway.