Parliament logjam: Kharge says opposition's three demands unchanged, seeks statement on student action
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday (August 11, 2026) told reporters in Parliament House complex that the opposition's demands have been consistent from the beginning and are not being altered. He listed three specific issues, including a demand for a statement by Home Minister Amit Shah on the police action against protesting students.
“We are not changing our goalpost. Our position has remained consistent from the very beginning, and we have three specific issues,” Mr. Kharge said. He elaborated: “The first concerns the lathi-charge and firing on students - we want to know who issued the orders and how it happened; we want a statement in the House regarding this. Secondly, as a result of the lathi-charge, many students fell ill or were hospitalised; over a 100 suffered minor injuries, and many were wounded by pellet guns. We want a statement on this matter as well. It has been 18 days, and there is no willingness to provide a statement.”
Mr. Kharge also said the opposition continues to raise the matter of what it calls the 'Chanda Chori' (donation theft) and the demand for an apology on both issues. “These three issues have been raised from the beginning, remain relevant now, and will continue to persist until they are resolved,” he asserted.
Asked about the students' protest in Jharkhand, the Congress chief said that was a separate issue. “There are hundreds of issues, they are discussed separately? Do we bring up every single issue on the very same day?” he asked.
Mr. Kharge's remarks came a day after he and Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, addressed a press conference and blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Shah for the parliamentary logjam. Parliament's Monsoon Session has been disrupted over these demands.
On Monday, Mr. Gandhi said the country is not interested in Mr. Shah's opinion in Parliament on “general topics” and wants to know if he ordered the firing of pellet guns at protesting students. This was in response to the government's position that the Home Minister was ready to reply to a debate on student protests and police action.
The principal opposition party said its three demands are “non-negotiable”: that Mr. Shah should clarify whether he ordered the firing on students, that Prime Minister Modi should speak on the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple, and that an apology should be offered on both issues. The opposition has maintained that the government's alleged unwillingness to address these matters is the cause of the continued deadlock in Parliament.
So far, the government has not formally responded to Mr. Kharge's latest remarks. The Parliament session has witnessed repeated adjournments as the opposition and the treasury benches have remained at odds over the terms of discussion.
