The latest adjournments continued the trend of severely disrupted proceedings in the ongoing Monsoon Session. Photo: PTI
Parliament adjourned amid Opposition demand for Shah’s statement on July 20 police action
Kharge accused the government of ignoring the Chair’s sentiments, while Rijiju rejected the claim during a sharp Rajya Sabha confrontation
The Opposition’s demand for Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s presence in the House became a flash point in its ongoing confrontation with the government on Friday (August 7), with both Houses getting adjourned for the day within less than two hours after starting at 11.
Opposition MPs resorted to heavy sloganeering in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha demanding a statement from Shah on the floor of the House regarding the alleged police excess on protesters in New Delhi on July 20. However, Lok Sabha passed the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026 without debate.
Shah demand sparks row
This led to the adjournment in both the Upper and the Lower House of the Parliament, continuing the trend of severely disrupted proceedings in the ongoing Monsoon Session.
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Earlier, in the day, Rajya Sabha witnessed stormy scenes as the Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge locked horns with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju over the Opposition’s demand for Shah’s presence in the House for a statement on police action on protesters on July 20 in New Delhi.
Kharge cites Chair
According to an ANI report, Kharge claimed that the Chairperson, CP Radhakrishnan, has directed Shah to come to the House and issue a statement on the issue.
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"You (the Chair) had asked the Home Minister to come and deliver a statement in the House. But they (the treasury benches) are not respecting your word and are insulting the House,” said Kharge.
The claim met with a strong rebuttal from Rijiju, stating that the Opposition does not have the authority to decide which minister will come to the House and when, adding that Shah comes to the Parliament complex daily.
Rijiju rejects claim
"The LoP is misleading the House. There has been no direction by the Chair. I am saying this on the record: from the time Parliament begins in the morning till it ends at night, the Home Minister is in the Parliament. The minister responsible for the business before the House gives the reply. The opposition will not decide which minister is to come and when,” said Rijiju.
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"There has been no direction issued for any minister to come to the House. You leave after 11 am, but the Home Minister stays. When the Home Minister will answer, you won't listen. They only disturb the House," he added.
Debate over direction
On Thursday, Radhakrishnan told Rijiju to "echo the sentiments of the Opposition" to Shah and "consider the request" for his presence in the House.
Rijiju, however, said on Friday that there was no direction from the Chair and that the Leader of the Opposition was misleading the House.
"You had given an observation," Rijiju told the Chairman. "No direction was given by the Chair." He went on to state that the Congress and other Opposition parties raise slogans and then walk out of Parliament, and that he condemns this act.