Rahul says government 'scared', won't let him speak

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Narendra Modi-government was "scared" and won't let him speak on student protests in India following the police crackdown on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

"I will speak. But they (government) will not let me speak because they are scared. They are scared of what I will speak in parliament. So they will not let me speak," Gandhi told reporters in parliament complex.

Parliament began its budget session amid fears that the opposition may try to corner the government over student protests and also the suicide of a Dalit student, Rohith Vemula, in Hyderabad University on January 17.

The Congress leader has supported JNU students protesting against the arrest of their leader Kanhaiya Kumar.

The JNU Students Union president has been held on sedition charges over alleged anti-national slogans raised in the campus during the February 9 event.

Gandhi visited the campus earlier this month and met students there. BJP president Amit Shah denounced him for siding with "anti-national" elements.