NEW DELHI: Parliament proceedings remained disrupted on Thursday as opposition parties continued to demand the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah over the police action against student protesters at Jantar Mantar. The Lok Sabha was also repeatedly adjourned amid the continued uproar.Amid the repeated disruptions, Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan asked Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju to “echo the sentiments” and demand to the home minister.As the Rajya Sabha reassembled, the Chairman attempted to take up the Question Hour, but opposition members continued sloganeering. He repeatedly urged protesting MPs to maintain order and assured them they would get an opportunity to raise their concerns.The Chair then allowed leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to speak. However, members of the Treasury benches objected, triggering a heated exchange between the ruling and opposition members.Kharge reiterated the opposition’s demand that Amit Shah address the House on the police action against protesters and said the opposition was ready for a discussion.“We only raise genuine questions concerning the country and its 140 crore people. We are asking the Home Minister and the Prime Minister to come to the House. We request the Chair to direct the Home Minister to come and give a statement. We are ready to discuss it,” Kharge later posted on X.“In this very House, Arun Jaitley ji himself said that disruption is a part of Parliamentary Democracy. You can raise any questions that is relevant to the proceedings. But here, when we are asking genuine questions, they are escaping,” he added.Responding to the demand, Rijiju said Kharge had not cited any rule while making the request and could not decide which minister should reply on behalf of the government.“The leader of the opposition did not quote any rule, cannot give direction to the Chair, only make requests, cannot dictate. New Congress members not learning anything because their leadership not giving them a chance”, Rijiju told Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in Rajya Sabha.Following the exchange, the Rajya Sabha Chairman directed Rijiju to convey the sentiments of the opposition to the home minister. “Now i request you to consider his request. Kharge requested the presence of home minister in the house. You represent him. As a parliamentary affairs minister you can echo the sentiments to the home minister,” the RS Chairman said.Outside Parliament, Kharge said the Chairman had asked the Parliamentary Affairs Minister to ensure Amit Shah came to the House and made a statement.“This is a simple request, and it is well within the government’s control. Why they are not present is still unknown. The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha told the Parliamentary Affairs Minister that the Home Minister should come to the House and speak on this incident. Rijiju alone does not have the authority to resolve the issue. He only conveys the matter, and then the issue fizzles out,” Kharge said.He also alleged that opposition members were not being allowed to raise points of order.“When I raise a point of order, I am not allowed to speak. We want the House to run peacefully, and for that, the Home Minister should make a statement in the House. Instead of asking students to seek forgiveness, the government should apologise to the students and their families,” he said.Asked whether the opposition would continue its protest, Kharge said the next course of action would depend on the government’s response.“It depends on when the Home Minister comes to the House and what statement he makes. Even the Prime Minister should come to the House and apologise. Such a serious incident has taken place, and yet the Home Minister has not made a statement,” he said.
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Kharge said the Congress would continue raising issues concerning students and had reached out to its allies on the matter.“We are raising the students’ cause. We have written to our allies as well. Wherever there is an issue concerning students, we will raise it and stand with them,” he said.“When Arun Jaitley was the Leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, he had said that disruption is part of democracy. Our request is simple, the government should come to the House and respond,” he added.The Rajya Sabha witnessed multiple adjournments during the day as opposition members continued sloganeering. Proceedings were first adjourned within 30 minutes of the House assembling, and later again till 2.15 pm and subsequently 3.15 pm, with normal business repeatedly disrupted.
