4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 6, 2026 03:09 PM IST
Amid the Opposition’s protest demanding that Union Home Minister Amit Shah come to the Rajya Sabha, Chairman and Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan told the Centre on Thursday to “consider the request” for Shah’s presence in the House. Addressing Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, the Rajya Sabha Chairman said, “I request you to consider the request for the Home Minister to come to the House; as Parliamentary Affairs Minister, you can echo the sentiments of the Opposition to the Home Minister.”
Earlier, Opposition MPs continued their demanded that Shah come to the House and respond to questions on alleged excesses by security forces during the crackdown on youngsters marching to Parliament on July 20 to protest paper leaks. They raised slogans of “Amit Shah jawaab do, Sadan mein aao (Amit Shah must answer, come to the House).”
Rijiju cited two rules, Rules 235, seeking an end to Opposition’s interruptions, and Rule 240 on irrelevance or repetition. Read out the rule, Rijiju said that Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress chief and Leader of the Opposition in the House, was repeating his remarks. “Every day Kharge ji reads out the same thing, Kharge ji says the same thing, this Rule applies to our Leader of the Opposition,” Rijiju said.
Mallikarjun Kharge vs Kiren Rijiju
After brief Zero Hour Mentions, Radhakrishnan allowed Kharge to speak. However, the treasury benches rose in protest, and objected. The House was then adjourned till noon. When it met again, the Chairman allowed Kharge to respond to Rijiju. Kharge said he did not need to learn from Rijiju on what to say in the House. He insisted that it is his right to decide what to say, when to say, and how to say.
Kharge also defended colleague and Congress MP Pawan Khera, whom Rijiju criticised earlier for raising slogans. “We raised questions concerning the country and 140 crore people, and what are we asking for… that the Home Minister and Prime Minister should come. I request you Sir, you direct (the) Home Minister to come here, and give a statement; we are ready to discuss,” he said.
“Our Pawan Khera is a learned man, and you are telling that he should read. In this House, Rajya Sabha, (BJP veteran late Arun) Jaitley ji said disruption is a part and parcel of democracy; you can raise questions which are relevant to the proceedings. Here they are escaping,” Kharge said.
At this point, the Chairman asked Rijiju to consider the Opposition’s demand for the Home Minister’s presence. Countering Kharge, Rijiju said, “He is a senior member and the Leader of the Opposition, but he has not quoted any rules. I quoted Rule 240; while you had given him a chance to speak every day, he kept on raising the same matter… That is why the Rule was specifically mentioned, that a member cannot refer to the same matter which he has spoken on with the permission of the Chair, whether he is in the opposition or the ruling party.”
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On Khera, he said, “… as Parliamentary Affairs minister, I want to facilitate, but the problem is he has not made his maiden speech yet. There was ample chance for a member to speak; so many new members have spoken, the Congress party is shouting and the new members are not learning anything because their leadership is not giving them a chance; he is unable to speak.”
“I only made a suggestion that he is neither on his seat nor on any Rule, coming in the well of the House and he kept shouting; that is against the Rules. I request once again, let the new member be given the chance to speak,” he said.
