The monsoon session of the Parliament began with the Cockroach Janta Party’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ march on July 20. Almost 17 days later, the proceedings of the parliament continue to be surrounded by protests from the Opposition, and now the BJP-led ruling NDA alliance.
Event Context
Since July 21, the Opposition led by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has staged protests and demanded a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the use of lathis, tear gas, shock batons and pellet guns against protestors in Central Delhi.
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This Opposition soon expanded to include other pressing issues, such as the NEET paper leak and the Ram Temple donation embezzlement case.
Opposition leaders also carried out a skit as part of the protest, which depicted the theft of donations in Ayodhya’s Ram Temple.
As part of this, they placed donation boxes in front of the stairs leading to the Makar Dwar of Parliament. The MPs allegedly put money into the boxes, while a saffron-clad Pappu Yadav, who sat near the boxes, slipped it into his pockets.
Also Read | FIR against Rahul Gandhi, Pappu Yadav, Awadhesh Prasad in Varanasi over donation theft skit at Parliament
The past 16 days of the monsoon session can be summarised with sloganeering, protests and quick adjournments.
While some key bills have been passed in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, the disruptions continue even after Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that Amit Shah was ready to address the parliament and answer the questions raised by the Opposition.
However, on Tuesday, MPs from the National Democratic Alliance staged their own protests, alleging that the Opposition was “running away” from a discussion in the house.
From banners of “Amit Shah jawaab do” (Amit Shah answer us), to “Rahul Gandhi bhaago mat” (Rahul Gandhi don’t run away), protests continue to remain a key highlight of this session.
Several lawmakers from the NDA marched towards the Parliament’s Makar Dwar on Tuesday, carrying placards with slogans like “Grah Mantri ki Charcha se Rahul Gandhi bhago mat (Rahul Gandhi, don’t run away from Home Minister’s reply)”.
NDA MPs have alleged that the Opposition and the Lok Sabha LoP were running away from a discussion on police action against protestors on July 20.
MPs also accused the Opposition INDIA bloc of disrupting the parliament proceedings.
Meanwhile, some BJP MPs were seen condemning the police action against student protesters in Jharkhand and targeting Gandhi, who is part of the alliance led by chief minister Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
Also Read | NDA MPs target Rahul Gandhi over silence on use of lathis, water canons on protesting students in Jharkhand
“Jharkhand mei chatro pe lathi charge pe Rahul Gandhi jawab do (Rahul Gandhi should answer on the lathi charge on students in Jharkhand),” read the banners held by BJP lawmakers on Tuesday.
“Rahul Gandhi will have to speak on the police brutality against students in Jharkhand,” said BJP MP Anurag Thakur, further questioning why the Congress leader was not addressing the Ranchi protests in Parliament.
