Rajya Sabha adjourned over Amit Shah absence; Rijiju cites no direction from Chair
The Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for about half an hour on Friday morning as Opposition members protested, demanding the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah to respond on the police action against students who had protested against the alleged NEET paper leak. Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan adjourned the House till noon amid the ruckus.
Opposition MPs, led by the Congress, raised slogans seeking Mr. Shah's presence, which were countered by the Treasury benches. Soon after the listed papers were laid on the table, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of the Home Minister's continued absence during the monsoon session, which began on July 20. He said the government was not respecting the Chairman's comments and was insulting the House.
On Thursday, Mr. Radhakrishnan had told Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to “echo the sentiments of the Opposition” to Mr. Shah and “consider the request” for his presence in the House. The Opposition has been demanding a statement in the House from the Home Minister on the July 20 police action against protesters who were marching towards Parliament.
Responding to the demands in the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Rijiju said there was no direction from the Chair and that the Leader of the Opposition was misleading the House. “You had given an observation. No direction was given by the Chair,” he told the Chairman.
Later, in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Rijiju told protesting Opposition members that Mr. Shah has been coming to Parliament every day and it is not right to protest over his name daily. “Amit Shah ji is such a person whose name itself is enough to make terrorists shiver,” he said. He added that ministers attend parliamentary proceedings according to the agenda of their ministries and the Opposition cannot decide which minister will come to the House and when.
Mr. Rijiju also condemned the Opposition's practice of raising slogans and walking out of Parliament. Amid heavy sloganeering, the Lok Sabha passed a Bill pertaining to the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) industry. The House was adjourned until Monday, August 10, 2026.
