The Congress on Tuesday hit out at Home Minister Amit Shah for remaining absent from the Lok Sabha despite business being listed against his name, saying his continued “no-show” had proved that “those who intimidate are themselves cowards”.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said Shah had again stayed away from the Lok Sabha despite “planting of news” and “desperate attempts to shift the narrative” around his absence.
“Once again, he has proved that those who intimidate are themselves cowards,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
Ramesh said Shah had now been absent from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for 17 days, describing the situation as “truly unprecedented”.
“The question naturally arises: Is he well? Is all ok between #1 and #2? The nation wants to know,” he said, in an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah.
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed two more Bills without debate amid continued Opposition protests demanding Shah’s presence in the House.
The House reassembled at 2 pm amid an uproar, with Opposition members raising slogans and displaying placards in the Well demanding that Shah appear in Parliament. Members also raised slogans over the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Presiding officer Krishna Prasad Tenneti allowed papers to be laid on the table amid the din.
The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, which seeks to change the state’s name to Keralam, was subsequently taken up for consideration and passage. The Bill, moved by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, was passed by voice vote without debate amid sloganeering.
The National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, moved by Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol, was also passed without debate amid the continued ruckus.
Of the 11 Bills cleared by the Lok Sabha so far, only two have seen a debate, while the remaining nine have been passed without discussion amid Opposition protests.
The Opposition has been protesting for more than three weeks, demanding Shah’s presence over police action against students in Delhi on July 20.
The government’s offer on Monday to hold a debate on student protests and have Shah reply failed to end the stalemate. The Congress has insisted that the Home Minister’s response must specifically address who authorised the firing of pellets against protesting students.
The party has also maintained that its demand for a discussion on the alleged theft of funds at the Ram temple is “non-negotiable”.