Parliament Monsoon Session Highlights: Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju hit out at the Opposition for what he said was making false claims on the FCRA bill. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Rijiju said, "Show me one provision of the Bill which is against the minorities. These claims are entirely false. There is no question of targeting minorities...There is for the security and well-being of every community in India."

Congress leader K C Venugopal hit out at the government over the FCRA Bill and said the Centre was targeting NGOs and minority institutions through the proposed legislation.

"Just now we got the information that the Bill is circulated for moving a resolution from the government on FCRA in the name of Amit Shah. This legislation is clearly for targeting the NGOs and minority institutions who are doing good work...The government is trying to target the minorities and NGOs," Venugopal said in the Lok Sabha.

Lok Sabha resumed on Wednesday noon even as the Opposition continued its protest in the House.

After Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Wednesday that the government was ready to answer all questions raised by the Opposition, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi hit back, accusing Shah of being absent for the past 20 days and saying they were now making a last-ditch attempt to revive their position. “The balloon has burst, and now, at the last moment, they are trying to refill the gas. Amit Shah has no courage, the home minister has no courage,” Gandhi said. Read full article

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday opposed the proposed delimitation exercise, arguing that southern states, including Tamil Nadu, should not lose their political representation for successfully implementing family planning policies over the past 25 years. The Congress veteran argued that the strength of the Lok Sabha should remain frozen at the existing 543 seats, warning that a significant expansion could dilute the character of the House.

"The Lok Sabha should be frozen at 543 seats; otherwise it will become the Chinese parliament. It will become a public meeting, it won't be a House," he said. He said the Tamil Nadu Assembly had unanimously adopted resolutions on the Tamil song and the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), and was expected to adopt, or may already have adopted, a resolution opposing delimitation.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday alleged that the Opposition has not allowed the Parliament to function even as he said that government is ready for a full discussion regarding the NEET protests.

"First of all, terms like 'laapata', 'bhaag gaye' are the kind of language increasingly being heard in India's public and parliamentary life. I have been coming to Parliament regularly since the session began; I sit in my chamber, but since the Opposition is not allowing Parliament to function—in either House—what is one supposed to do? As for the discussion, Kiren Rijiju, our Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, has made it very clear that the government is ready for a full discussion regarding the NEET protests. We asked for a time to be fixed and for the Opposition to be ready," Shah told reporters outside the Parliament.

The Home Minister said that the government is ready for the discussion from 3 PM, adding that he will sit in the House and respond to every point raised by the Opposition.

"I, too, have stated that I am ready to answer any question in Parliament, yet they simply do not want the discussion to take place. Now, let the public decide who is running away. Let them submit a letter to the Speaker by 3:00 PM today. We are ready for a discussion on all aspects from 3:00 PM today until 3:00 PM tomorrow. I will sit in the House; I will listen to everyone and respond to every point. The government has nothing to hide. I will even discuss why they did not want the discussion to happen. The NDA government—under Modi ji's leadership is ready to discuss anything; they just need to let Parliament function," he added.

#watch | Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "First of all, terms like 'laapata', 'bhaag gaye' are the kind of language increasingly being heard in India's public and parliamentary life. I have been coming to Parliament regularly since the session began; I sit in my… pic.twitter.com/sLaYv9fFSn

— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2026

Opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, held a protest in the Parliament House Complex over the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and "police excesses" on student protesters last month.

The Congress leaders also demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah come to Parliament and make a statement on the alleged police excesses on students during their July 20 Parliament march over the NEET paper leak issue. Carrying placards, the MPs stood in front of the Parliament gates and raised slogans "Amit Shah sadan mein aao", "Amit Shah maafi maango" and "Chanda chor, kahan milenge, BJP ke daftar mein".

Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2 PM on Wednesday amid ruckus in the House.

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday morning witnessed an uproar in the House after CPI-M MP John Brittas claimed that a Member of Parliament made a 'distasteful' remark on his attire. The remark led to an uproar in the House even as Chairman C P Radhakrishnan tried to assure the Opposition that he would resolve the issue. The Chairman urged the members not to disrespect cultural traditions and regional identities.

While speaking on reports stating that the FCRA Bill will be sent to Joint Parliamentary Committee, the Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said, "It should be sent...Nothing will happen tomorrow. We will continue to do what we have been doing till now."

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on Home Minister Amit Shah, questioning the government's accountability for the alleged use of excessive force against student protesters last month. Speaking to reporters, the Congress leader questioned who should be held responsible for the treatment meted out to the youth when they raise their voices for their future.

"What do you think, who is responsible? When thousands of students gather and they have one demand, you shower lathis on them, you fire pellet guns at them, and in Bihar, you use AK-47s against them," Priyanka Gandhi said.

Congress MP Manish Tewari gives Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha "to discuss the contours of a new Anti-Defection Law that proscribes Mass Political Defections driven by opportunism and bereft of any genuine ideological or policy differences while simultaneously providing space for honest and critical dissent both inside and outside Parliament and the legislatures."

The government on Monday agreed to the Opposition demand that Union Home Minister Amit Shah make a statement in the House on the alleged use of excessive force against protesters in Delhi during last month’s protest. The only condition, the government said, was that the Opposition must not disrupt Shah’s speech.

With two days remaining for the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, Shah is likely to address the House either on Wednesday or Thursday. Meanwhile, the Opposition is set to huddle today to decide the strategy ahead of the Wednesday's proceedings.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to present two Bills before the Rajya Sabha -- the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill and the National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill.

The Lok Sabha on Monday cleared the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, which seeks to rename Kerala as 'Keralam' without a debate. The Kerala Assembly had passed a resolution in 2024 urging the Centre to bring a law to change the name of the state to Keralam.

The National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 seeks to expand the role of the National Cooperative Development Corporation in financing India’s cooperative sector.