Amit Shah shuts down Owaisi in parliament, tells him to learn to listen

The lower house of the Parliament witnessed a verbal spat between the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah and AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi yesterday. Things escalated between the two when a discussion was going on in the House about the National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill and Owaisi objected to a part of BJP MP, Satyapal Singh’s speech during the Lok Sabha session. Singh alleged that the then Hyderabad Police Commissioner had been asked by a political leader of the concerned state to change the course of investigation in a terror-related case, where a members of the minority community were suspect, or else the commissioner could be transferred out. Singh also said that he was aware of this event because he was the Mumbai Commissioner of Police at that time.

Owaisi interrupted at this point and demanded that Singh places on the table of the House all records related to his claim even as the speaker requested him to be seated. This ruckus triggered Union Home Minister, Amit Shah and Owaisi. Shah made it clear that the treasury members did not interrupt when the opposition members were speaking and the opposition members should also do the same. Taking a sharp dig at Owaisi, Shah said, “sunne ki bhi aadat daliye Owaisi Sahab, iss tarah se nahi chalega (Make it a habit to listen as well, Mr Owaisi, it will not work like this)”.

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Amit Shah clearly had a strong argument as the opposition members should also have the patience to listen so that a civilised discussion can take place. Parliament is supposed to facilitate political discussions. Instead of trying to use the institution for scoring political points, the opposition members must play their part in facilitating smooth and civilised discussions in the Parliament. However, Owaisi got agitated instead of understanding what the Union Home Minister was trying to say.

The AIMIM MP asked Amit Shah to not point a finger at him and added that he could not be frightened. The accusation that the government is trying to frighten the opposition has probably been the most overused argument in the recent past. It is the go to option for the opposition whenever it fails to counter a legitimate argument. Amit Shah countered Owaisi effectively and made it clear that he was not frightening anyone and merely saying that the opposition members should have the patience to listen to a counter view. This makes it amply clear that Owaisi was only trying to blow out of proportion what Shah had said. Taking a jibe at Owaisi, Shah also said, “When you have fear in your mind then what can I do.”

This would go down as a very interesting anecdote in Parliamentary discussions and would also reflect upon how Amit Shah schooled Owaisi about etiquettes and Parliamentary conduct. The AIMIM leader, who comes from Hyderabad, is known for his fiercely communal speeches. He opposed the NIA bill, which was presented in Parliament to give more powers to the anti-terror agency.