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. Rahul Gandhi lacks facts, and the Leader of Opposition, who habitually lies, neither wants to come to Parliament nor listen to answers. The former Education Minister also accused Gandhi and the Congress of making "baseless, factless false accusations" against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "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. "But the question is, why is Rahul Gandhi, who holds press conferences on every issue, maintaining silence today?"