Sanyukt Kulshreshtha | Swadhin Patel2 days ago
The Lok Sabha, despite getting adjourned several times due to uproar from the opposition, passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 on Tuesday. The bill was proposed to form a law for officially changing the name of “Kerala” to “Keralam.”, PTI reported.
Meanwhile, the NDA and Congress MPs staged protests against each other on Tuesday in the Parliament complex, confronting one another. NDA MPs accused the Opposition of avoiding a discussion in Parliament, while Congress MPs raised slogans against Home Minister Amit Shah.
During the protest, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi and BJP MP Mukesh Dalal also came face-to-face. As Priyanka arrived at Parliament and stepped out of her car, BJP MPs stood in front of her and raised slogans against Rahul Gandhi.
Mukesh Dalal asked why Rahul Gandhi was not meeting student protesters in Jharkhand. Priyanka walked up to him, smiling, and replied that Rahul had gone to Jharkhand and had already met the protesting students.
The government had said on Monday that Shah would respond in Parliament on July 20 to the issues raised by student protesters at Jantar Mantar. Later, Rahul Gandhi said at a press conference that they were not interested in hearing Shah’s opinion but wanted to know who ordered the police action and firing on the students.
The Congress and the NDA had a heated argument outside the Parliament.
NDA MPs took out a protest march at the Makar gate of Parliament. They came with posters against Rahul.
Updates
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju says the government was ready to hold a detailed discussion on incidents related to the students’ protest, with Home Minister Amit Shah also prepared to respond.
He said the Opposition did not allow the discussion to take place yesterday and that the Congress again walked out and raised slogans outside the House today.
Rijiju said the government was ready for a full discussion, while the Congress was “running away from it”.
He added that Rahul Gandhi had been demanding a statement from the Home Minister, but the government was ready for a detailed discussion instead of limiting it to a formal statement.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav says, “Both issues are important. The way the police behaved with students and young people, lathcharge, pellet guns, and God knows what else happened, everyone has seen it in the pictures. The second issue is Ayodhya. We are ready to debate both issues.”
BJP MP Harbhajan Singh said Punjab’s drug problem is a serious issue and governments should focus on efforts to make the state drug-free.
He said that as a representative of Punjab, he feels there is no point in being in Parliament if he does not raise issues concerning the state.
Rajya Sabha passes The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026.
Union MoS SP Singh Baghel said NDA MPs have protested outside the House, but the Opposition is responsible for disrupting Parliament.
He said an FIR has been registered in the NEET case, the CBI is investigating, several people have been jailed and a task force has been formed to prevent such incidents in future.
Baghel said Kiren Rijiju has assured a discussion on the students’ protest, after which the Home Minister will reply.
He added that the Opposition is now demanding a direct reply without discussion, which is not how Parliament functions.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh accused Rahul Gandhi of being “double-faced” over the Jharkhand student protests, alleging that he raises the issue in Delhi but remains silent on Karnataka and Punjab.
Singh said students are demanding that Gandhi either ask Congress to withdraw support from the Jharkhand government, seek Hemant Soren’s removal or resign as Leader of Opposition.
He also accused the Opposition of avoiding discussion in Parliament and creating a ruckus, saying the government and Speaker have repeatedly offered to hold discussions.
Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, speaking on the Bill, highlights the reforms undertaken by the Centre over the past several years.
He praises Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ and lists reforms carried out across various sectors, including technology, taxation and the economy.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya accused Rahul Gandhi and the Opposition of using students to advance their political agenda.
He said disrupting Parliament and preventing it from functioning amounted to “destructive politics”, while students protesting in Jharkhand faced lathicharge and violence.
Surya urged Gandhi to keep students’ issues above politics and said no political party should pursue its agenda through such matters.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Bill retaining Kerala’s old name, Keralam, was very important for the state.
He said he was saddened that senior MP KC Venugopal could not speak during its passage.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh, speaking against the Tribunals Reforms Bill, raised concerns over the representation of Dalit and Adivasi communities in tribunals.
He said the Centre has maintained in the House that representation is a matter for the collegium.
Singh also questioned the government over reservation for Dalit and Adivasi communities in tribunals.
He alleged corruption in the National Company Law Tribunals (NCLTs), claiming that waivers are being granted to large corporates and businessmen.
Singh further alleged that the proposed reforms would give the government greater control over the NCLTs.
President Droupadi Murmu gives assent to Vande Mataram Bill, giving the same legal protection as that of national anthem
BJP MP Dilip Saikia said Rahul Gandhi must take responsibility for the situation in Jharkhand, alleging that the Congress-supported JMM government has committed atrocities against students and youth.
Speaking in favour of Tribunals Reform Bill, MP Swati Maliwal says, “The Bill is about common citizen’s wait for justice.”
“This is not just a Bill for the Tribunals, but for the trust of the people of the country,” says Ms. Maliwal.
In her address, BJP MP Swati Maliwal, expressed her support for the data centre which would store the data of all tribunals.
She also claimed that this step will help with storing crucial data on needs for improvement and verdicts given by tribunals of various sectors.
Congress MP Pawan Khera says, “Our demand remains the same that the Home Minister should come and make a statement on the theft of donations and the atrocities committed against students. PM Modi should apologise. The opposition has been making this demand continuously for the past 17-18 days, but the Home Minister is scared for some reason.”
The Congress and the NDA had a heated argument outside the Parliament.
NDA MPs took out a protest march at the Makar gate of Parliament. They came with posters against Rahul.
BJP MP Shashank Mani Tripathi says, “There has not been a bigger tragedy than this Monsoon session getting washed out. At least let the Zero Hour and Question Hour function.”
Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale said Rahul Gandhi is “afraid” and that this is why he faces defeat in elections.
He said that since Amit Shah is ready to speak in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi should allow the House to function.
Former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused the Congress of repeatedly spreading false information about students’ issues.
He said Rahul Gandhi lacked facts and alleged that the Leader of the Opposition neither wanted to attend Parliament nor listen to the government’s response. Pradhan said the Opposition’s only aim was to spread lies and shed “crocodile tears.”
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government over the lathi-charge on students in Jharkhand.
He said Rahul Gandhi condemned the incident on Monday evening, shortly after the lathi-charge. Gogoi added that Rahul did not wait two weeks to make a video on social media, unlike PM Modi.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav staged a protest with party MPs in the Parliament complex on Tuesday over the alleged theft of donations made to the Ram temple. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi was also seen alongside Yadav. During the same Opposition MPs waved posters reading, ‘Doodh ka doodh, paani ka paani’, calling for the truth to be brought to light. Read More
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad says, “We are ready to listen to everything the Opposition has to say and respond to every point. They should also listen to us. We have many questions for Rahul Gandhi and the Opposition. Rahul Gandhi, you keep creating a ruckus, but the Jharkhand government is running with your support. Jobs are being sold in every examination there; students are on hunger strikes, facing lathi charges and tear gas. Don’t you have to answer for this? Why not? The government there is supported by you. This cannot continue, and we want to make that clear…”
Congress MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring says, “The whole country knows that Rahul Gandhi is ready to face anyone. For the last so many days, we have been saying that Amit Shah ji should come to the House and give a statement. Who fired the pellet guns? Who ordered the lathi charge on the students?”
He also added, “It will make no difference. Congress has been fighting elections since the independence,” he adds, on Akali Dal Waris Punjab De fielding Indira Gandhi assassination convict’s son for 2027 Punjab polls.”
Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) chief and MP Chandrashekhar Azad says, “The issues of students of Jharkhand and Lucknow must be raised. Wherever they want—be it Allahabad or Lucknow—all those issues should be raised, and they should get justice. Today, the governments have become insensitive, and they will have to bear the consequences.”
“We are always ready,” says Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, on being asked why Rahul Gandhi is not ready to face Amit Shah in Parliament.
The Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav says, “Exam and Ram Mandir issues are connected to each other. The source of both issues is the same; both are being operated from the same place. Therefore, there should be a debate on both issues.”
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra says, “For the first time I have seen that the MPs of the ruling party are holding a protest. At least we have forced them to do this. Now he (Amit Shah) should come and give a statement.”
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, in his statement, said, “They have no strategy; their objective is not to hold any meaningful discussion in the House and only create anarchy. Now, when the Home Minister is ready to respond, Rahul Gandhi is not ready to listen. Rahul Gandhi should come to the House to listen and go to Ranchi…”
NDA and Congress MPs hold protest against each other in the Parliament. NDA MPs’ protest against the Opposition, alleging them of running away from discussion in Parliament. Congress MPs are protesting against the Union Home Minister over the ‘police action’ on students during the Jantar Mantar protest.
Union Minister Anupriya Patel says, “This is such an important session of Parliament, and the government has been saying that it is ready for discussion. The government formed a new strict law to deal with paper leaks. The Union Home Minister is also ready to speak in the House, but their (Opposition) only aim is to create hungama.”
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrives at the Parliament amid NDA MPs’ protest against the Opposition, alleging them of running away from discussion in Parliament. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra says, “Rahul Gandhi has met the students from Jharkhand.”
NDA MPs march against the Opposition, BJP MP Arun Govil says, “Now that we are ready to have a debate, they are running away from it. The Opposition is behaving very irresponsibly.”
The Parliament session is now in its final phase, with only three days remaining.
The deadlock between the government and Opposition over the issues they want discussed continues to affect proceedings.
