The Congress has demanded the immediate dismissal of Union home minister Amit Shah, holding him “directly responsible” for the “anarchy” in the national capital on Republic Day and describing the Red Fort fiasco as a government-sponsored conspiracy to defame the peaceful farmers’ movement.

Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala told a news conference on Wednesday: “Amit Shah is directly responsible for the premeditated violence and anarchic scenes in the national capital during the farmers’ tractor rally. This is the second time when Delhi had been thrown into the vortex of violence and lawlessness, exposing Shah’s failure as home minister. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not sack him now, it will indicate he was part of the conspiracy.”

By “second time”, the Congress was referring to the February 2020 Delhi riots in which 53 people lost their lives.

Surjewala also alleged that the conspiratorial tactics visible during the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh and other places and the violence on the JNU and Jamia Millia Islamia campuses had been deployed to quell the farmers’ protest too.

“Shah is the weakest home minister in India’s history,” the Congress spokesperson said.

Wondering how could a group of 300-400 people capture India’s pride — Red Fort — Surjewala said: “Some people made public announcements at the protest sites on the night of January 25 that they would enter Delhi, defying the agreement reached between the farmers’ unions and Delhi police. What were the police doing? Sleeping? Why did the government not act on intelligence inputs? How were 30-40 tractors allowed to reach Red Fort when the police had acted brutally with protesters elsewhere? How were those who climbed atop Red Fort and hoisted a flag allowed to go back? Why were they not arrested?”

Deep Sidhu, an actor accused of leading the group that hoisted the flag at Red Fort, was seen driving away from the spot on a motorcycle.

Arguing that never in the history of independent India had any group succeeded in capturing Red Fort, Surjewala said: “Videos showed policemen sitting quietly when vandalism was going on. Who facilitated the passage (of the protesters) to Red Fort and the hoisting of the flag? Why was the main door not closed? What happened was a planned conspiracy. Photographs of Deep Sidhu with the Prime Minister and the home minister are everywhere.”

Surjewala said: “It was a government plot. Deep Sidhu and his gang were allowed to escape from Red Fort as part of a strategy. The police remained a mute spectator. This conspiracy was hatched to defame the peaceful movement of the farmers and to break the unity among the unions.”

Recalling that innocent people were now being targeted, much like what had happened in other instances of violence in the recent past including the Delhi riots, Surjewala said: “It is on Shah’s instructions that false cases are being slapped on leaders of farmers’ unions while Deep and gang have been spared. No FIR has been registered against the main culprits.

“Shah has no moral right to stay in office for a minute.”