No business in Rajya Sabha over Amit Shah statement demand

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha failed to conduct any business on Friday as the Opposition raised slogans and trooped into the well of the House to demand home minister Amit Shah's statement on the alleged use of pellet guns against NEET paper leak protesters on July 20. Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju insisted the chair had not "directed" the home minister to come to the House.

Minutes after the House met for the day, leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was on his feet demanding that Shah should make a statement. "You had requested the HM that he should come to the House, yet he is not doing so. He is insulting the chair," Kharge said to chairman CP Radhakrishnan. Rijiju maintained that Kharge was spreading misinformation that a direction had been given by the chair for the home minister to come to the House. He underscored that the chair had only made an observation in this regard.

Clarifying the reason for Shah's absence from the House, Rijiju further said, "Only the minister who has any listed business has to come to the House. You cannot make demands and give directions on which minister should be present and who should reply. The government and the chair decide that. Hence, you should stop this drama of stalling the proceedings."


As the din continued, Radhakrishnan adjourned the House till Monday.