Kiren Rijiju slams Congress for 'running away' from debate on student stir

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister said he was deeply disappointed with the opposition's conduct and called the current parliamentary deadlock unprecedented in his three decades of parliamentary experience.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju during a heated debate in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Monsoon Session. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday delivered a scathing critique of the Congress and other opposition parties over the continuing deadlock in Parliament, accusing them of avoiding a discussion on the recent student protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and disrupting proceedings through slogans and placards.He said the Congress was "running away" from debate on the July 20 protests, when the government and the Home Minister are ready to respond to the Opposition's questions.Addressing reporters outside Parliament, Rijiju said he was "deeply disappointed" with the opposition’s conduct and described the current situation as unprecedented in his parliamentary career."I am really frustrated that the Opposition is running away from debates in Parliament. It is unthinkable and incomprehensible that, in a parliamentary democracy, the Opposition is running away from debate while the government is insisting on a full-fledged discussion and is also ready to respond," Rijiju said. The minister said both the government and the opposition have responsibilities in a parliamentary democracy and alleged that the opposition was refusing to participate in a debate despite repeated appeals from the government.He said the government remained prepared to discuss the issue in detail and respond to all concerns raised by opposition members. The remarks came amid repeated disruptions in both Houses over the protests by students and aspirants at Jantar Mantar, where demonstrators demanded action on issues related to examinations, including NEET.Opposition parties have sought a discussion on the matter and have been pressing for a response from the government.Rijiju said that when the opposition demanded a discussion on NEET and insisted that the Home Minister reply, the government agreed to the proposal.He said that Home Minister Amit Shah wrote to the Speaker stating that the government was ready for a discussion and requested that the opposition be persuaded to participate."The public wants to know why the Congress is shying away from the discussion," Rijiju said. He added that the government was willing to hold a debate and provide a comprehensive reply at the end of the discussion.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, however, rejected the offer, saying the Opposition did not want to hear Shah but sought answers on who ordered police action against protesting NEET students.The minister also attacked the functioning of Congress MPs in Parliament. "I am not that old, yet I have been in Parliament for thirty years, and I have never seen an opposition like this," he said. "Congress MPs merely display placards and raise slogans; that is all they seem to do now".The Union Minister further added that the government had once again appealed to opposition parties to allow the discussion to take place, noting that Thursday is the last day of the current parliamentary session. "Tomorrow is the last day. We have once again appealed for the discussion to take place," he stressed.The government has maintained that Parliament is the appropriate forum to discuss issues concerning students and examination reforms and has accused the opposition of preventing substantive debate by repeatedly disrupting proceedings.The opposition, however, has argued that the government must first respond to the concerns raised by protesting students and has continued demonstrations inside and outside Parliament.The latest exchange further intensified the confrontation between the government and the opposition, with both sides blaming each other for the repeated adjournments and the loss of parliamentary working hours.With only one day left in the session, it remained uncertain whether a discussion on the student protests and examination-related issues would take place before Parliament adjourns sine die.- EndsPublished By: Prateek ChakrabortyPublished On: Aug 12, 2026 16:07 IST