New Delhi: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of avoiding Parliament and refusing to listen to the government's responses, escalating the political confrontation over student protests in Jharkhand.

In a social media post, Pradhan alleged that the Congress was spreading false claims in the name of students' interests and accused Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, of lacking facts.

"Congress is continuously spreading lies regarding students' interests. Rahul Gandhi lacks facts, and the Leader of Opposition, who habitually lies, neither wants to come to Parliament nor listen to answers. They just want to spread their lies and shed crocodile tears," Pradhan said.

Pradhan's remarks came amid a growing confrontation between the government and the Opposition over recent student protests in Jharkhand and alleged police action against demonstrators.

The former Education Minister also accused Gandhi and the Congress of making "baseless, factless false accusations" against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He said the government was ready to discuss issues in Parliament but alleged that the Congress was obstructing the functioning of the House.

"Making baseless, factless false accusations against the Honourable Home Minister Shri Amit Shah ji reveals the political desperation of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress," Pradhan said.

He alleged that the Opposition was attempting to obstruct parliamentary proceedings instead of participating in discussions and accused it of putting political interests ahead of the welfare of the country and its youth.

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"The government is ready for discussion in Parliament on every issue, but Congress is obstructing the temple of democracy, 'Parliament House' and crushing the interests of the country and the youth," Pradhan said.

Pradhan further alleged that whenever discussions were offered in Parliament, the Opposition staged protests outside the House because it was unwilling to listen to the government's answers.

He also accused the Congress of following what he described as a "selective" approach to incidents involving young people.

"Congress's democracy is also 'Selective'--violence against youth where they are in government, and lies and commotion where they want to shine politically," he said.

Referring to the Jharkhand protests, Pradhan said the alleged brutality against students had been witnessed by the country and questioned Gandhi's response.

"But the question is, why is Rahul Gandhi, who holds press conferences on every issue, maintaining silence today?" he asked.

The BJP and Congress have intensified their exchanges over the issue. NDA MPs on Tuesday staged a protest in the Parliament complex, accusing the Opposition of avoiding a discussion, while the ruling alliance maintained that Shah was ready to respond to concerns raised by the Opposition.

Pradhan also accused the Congress of operating with what he called the "mindset of the Emergency era" and said there was no place for dictatorship in a democracy.

"There is no place for dictatorship in democracy; Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party, which operates on the mindset of the Emergency era, should understand this well," he said.

Pradhan's comments are likely to further sharpen the political battle over the Jharkhand student protests, as the government seeks to shift the focus toward a parliamentary debate while Opposition leaders continue to demand accountability over the alleged police action.