10 August,2026 03:35 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju addresses the Lok Sabha on Monday. PIC/X
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said the government was ready for a debate in the Lok Sabha on student protests and police action against them, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah set to reply on behalf of the government, news agency PTI reported.
However, Rijiju said the Opposition would have to give an assurance that it would participate in the debate peacefully, listen to the Home Minister's reply and not "run away" after creating turmoil or resorting to sloganeering.
The Opposition has been persistently demanding a statement from the Home Minister on police action against students protesting in the city last month. Shah has not been seen in the House, although he has been regularly coming to the Parliament House complex.
Rijiju also said that as the government was ready for a debate on student protests in different parts of the country, the Opposition could not create any turmoil or resort to sloganeering during the discussion or the Home Minister's reply.
"We have made it clear to the BAC (Business Advisory Committee) of the Lok Sabha that the government is ready for a detailed discussion on the students and youth agitations that have been going on in different parts of the country as well as police action. The home minister will reply to the debate on behalf of the government," he told reporters after a meeting of the BAC held in the Parliament House complex.
However, Rijiju said the Opposition had to assure that it would participate in the debate peacefully, would not disrupt proceedings, would listen to the Home Minister's reply and would not "run away" after creating turmoil and resorting to sloganeering.
The Monsoon Session, which began on July 20, has witnessed repeated adjournments and virtually no business except the debate on the anti-paper leaks bill - The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 - which was passed by both Houses of Parliament.
Three more bills were passed in the two Houses with little or no debate, while two other bills were passed by the Lok Sabha amid unrelenting protests by the Opposition.
The Opposition parties initially protested over the NEET paper leaks and alleged theft of donations at the Ayodhya Ram temple. They later pressed for a discussion on police action against students protesting over the NEET paper leaks and demanded the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the home minister, along with statements from them.
(With PTI inputs)
