Home Minister Shah offers 24-hour parliamentary hearing as opposition rejects his invitation

In New Delhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah pledged to stay in the Lok Sabha from 3 pm today until the same time tomorrow to field every question concerning the police response to student demonstrators on July 20. He claimed he has attended Parliament regularly and blamed the opposition for preventing the House from functioning, urging them to send a letter to the Speaker to trigger the debate. Shah also said he would even suspend Question Hour if permitted, emphasizing the government’s transparency.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi rejected the proposal, stating the opposition wants answers about who ordered the lathi charge on students, not a lecture from Shah, and suggested the minister should resign if culpable. Senior opposition members, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, have protested inside the Parliament complex, linking the issue to other grievances such as alleged donation theft at the Ayodhya temple. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju affirmed the government's willingness to engage in a full discussion and asked the opposition to avoid disrupting proceedings.