No Direction From Rajya Sabha Chair to Amit Shah to Attend House, Says Kiren Rijiju Amid Opposition Uproar

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday rejected the Opposition's claim that Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan had directed Union Home Minister Amit Shah to attend the House and respond to the issues being raised by Opposition members. The clarification came amid a fresh uproar in the Rajya Sabha, where Opposition MPs continued to demand Amit Shah's presence and a statement on the alleged police action against student protesters. The issue has become a major point of confrontation between the government and the Opposition during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Rijiju said the Rajya Sabha Chairman had not issued any formal direction to the Home Minister. According to the minister, the Chair had only asked him to convey the sentiments of Opposition members to Shah. Rijiju maintained that conveying the Opposition's demand should not be interpreted as an instruction for a particular minister to appear in the House.

The controversy stems from remarks made by Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan during the previous day's proceedings. Opposition members had repeatedly sought Amit Shah's presence in the House and demanded that he address their concerns. In response, the Chairman asked Rijiju, as the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, to convey the sentiments of the Opposition to the Home Minister.

The Opposition subsequently treated the Chairman's intervention as support for its demand that Shah attend the proceedings. The government, however, has maintained that no such direction was issued. The disagreement added to the already tense atmosphere in Parliament. Opposition MPs raised slogans and protested inside the House, pressing for an explanation from the Home Minister. The protests eventually led to disruption of proceedings.

The Opposition has been seeking Amit Shah's response over allegations concerning police action during a student protest at Jantar Mantar. Opposition leaders argue that the Home Minister should personally address Parliament and explain the government's position on the incident. Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has also raised the demand for Shah's presence, making the issue one of the key points of contention between the two sides.

The government, meanwhile, has argued that Amit Shah has been present in the Parliament complex and has been engaged in official work, even though he has not attended the proceedings of the House in question. Rijiju said the Home Minister spends considerable time in Parliament and rejected suggestions that the government was deliberately avoiding the Opposition.

Rijiju also criticised the repeated disruptions, arguing that Parliament cannot function effectively when proceedings are interrupted by slogans and protests. He questioned the logic of demanding a minister's response while disrupting the House at the same time. The latest dispute reflects the wider political tension surrounding the Monsoon Session. While the Opposition wants a direct response from Amit Shah, the government insists that parliamentary proceedings cannot be conducted according to demands for the compulsory presence of a particular minister.

There appears to be little indication of a breakthrough. The Opposition continues to press for Amit Shah's statement, while the government stands by its position that the Rajya Sabha Chairman did not issue any direction requiring the Home Minister to attend the House. The issue is likely to remain a major flashpoint when Parliament resumes, with both the government and Opposition preparing to continue their arguments over the incident and the functioning of the House.