Shah blamed the Opposition for preventing Parliament from functioning, saying there was little purpose in simply entering the building if proceedings were repeatedly disrupted.
#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.
WE DON'T CARE: RAHUL GANDHIShortly after Amit Shah made the offer, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi dismissed it, saying the Opposition was not interested in hearing a “lecture” from the Union Home Minister and instead wanted answers on the alleged crackdown on protesting students.
“If Amit Shah gave this order to shoot our children, then he should resign,” he said.
“For the last 20 days, Amit Shah has been missing.
In an effort to end the continued Parliament logjam, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday offered the Opposition a 24-hour window for a discussion, saying he was ready to answer all their questions and would remain present in the House from 3 pm on Wednesday until 3 pm on Thursday. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, however, dismissed the offer, saying the Opposition was not interested in what Shah had to say but wanted answers on who ordered the police action against the NEET student protesters.
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As Parliament remained deadlocked over the Opposition's demand for a statement from Shah on the NEET student protest crackdown and a discussion on the Ram Temple donations theft, the Union Home Minister said they should formally submit a letter seeking a discussion, after which the government was ready to hold a debate in the House.
"Write a letter and submit it. We will discuss the matter from 3 pm today, and I am ready to discuss it until 3 pm tomorrow," the Union Minister said, adding that he was prepared to remain in Parliament and answer questions raised by the Opposition.
"I am ready to answer any question," he said and added that it was now for the Opposition to decide whether it wanted a discussion or continued disruption.
#WATCH | Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "I want to tell the Opposition: submit a letter to the Speaker by 2:00 PM, we will start the discussion at 3:00 PM, and I will provide answers to everything by 3:00 PM tomorrow. There are established rules and procedures for pic.twitter.com/Q8ZdZfvxdW— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2026
Responding to Opposition remarks accusing him of being "missing", "escaped" or a "fugitive", Shah said he had been attending Parliament regularly since the Monsoon Session began.
"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?" he said.
Shah blamed the Opposition for preventing Parliament from functioning, saying there was little purpose in simply entering the building if proceedings were repeatedly disrupted.
#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
On the demand for a discussion on the NEET protest crackdown, Shah said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had already made it clear that the government was willing to discuss all aspects of the issue.
He said the government had earlier agreed to the Opposition's demand for time to debate the matter and reiterated that he was prepared to answer questions in Parliament.
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"But they don't want to allow any discussion. Now let the public decide who's running away," Shah said.
The Union Minister went on to say that the government had "nothing to hide" and was prepared to discuss all aspects of the issues being raised by the Opposition. "I will sit in the House, listen to everyone and respond to everything."
WE DON'T CARE: RAHUL GANDHI
Shortly after Amit Shah made the offer, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi dismissed it, saying the Opposition was not interested in hearing a “lecture” from the Union Home Minister and instead wanted answers on the alleged crackdown on protesting students.
“Who shot the students? Who gave the order to beat up the students with lathis with nails?” Gandhi asked.
“If Amit Shah gave this order to shoot our children, then he should resign,” he said. “For the last 20 days, Amit Shah has been missing. The Home Minister of India has no courage; he cannot come to the House.”
#WATCH | Delhi | LoP, Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi says, "The Opposition has clearly said that we are not interested in Amit Shah giving us a lecture. When I say 'we', I mean the younger generation of this country. Who shot the students? Who gave the order to beat up the students with pic.twitter.com/2TSom00vLe— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2026
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Since the Monsoon Session began on July 20, the Opposition vowed to corner the government on the twin issues of police action against students during the NEET agitation in Delhi and the Ram Temple donations theft.
Opposition leaders have continued their demand for Amit Shah's presence in Parliament and are seeking a response on the alleged use of pellet guns against students.
The government's offer of a debate and Shah's assurance that he was ready to answer all questions failed to break the stalemate, with Congress insisting that any response must specifically address who ordered the police action.
The Congress has also maintained that a discussion on the Ram temple theft is "non-negotiable."
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