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Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said Union Home Minister Amit Shah was either "culpable or incompetent" over the alleged police action during the July 20 student protests, asserting that the Home Minister must explain his role in Parliament.
Speaking to reporters after the Lok Sabha was adjourned, Gandhi said there were only two possible explanations for the alleged action on student protesters at Jantar Mantar on July 20. "There can be two possible scenarios. One is that the Home Minister issued the order. The second is that the Home Minister was unaware that firing would take place. In the first case, he is culpable; in the second, he is incompetent--it has to be one of the two; there is no third possibility," Gandhi said. "If the Home Minister didn't even know that shots were being fired, it means he is incompetent; otherwise, if he ordered it, he is culpable," he added. Questioning Amit Shah's absence from the House during the debate, Gandhi said, "He didn't even come to the Parliament. Why is he not coming, supposedly brave Home Minister of India? Why is he not in the House? If he has not done anything, did not give any order, then give an explanation that he didn't do it." Emphasising his right to raise the issue in Parliament, Gandhi said, "It is my right to speak in the Parliament and they should give me this right." His remarks came after the Lok Sabha witnessed heated exchanges during the discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026. Gandhi had alleged that the Home Minister lacked the courage to be present in the House, prompting strong objections from the Treasury benches. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju termed Gandhi's allegations "unsubstantiated" and accused him of making baseless charges against a senior minister without evidence. Speaker Om Birla also cautioned the Leader of Opposition against making personal allegations without factual backing. The House had earlier witnessed another confrontation after Rijiju objected to an expression used by Gandhi during his speech. Following objections from Treasury bench members and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Speaker Om Birla ordered the disputed expression to be expunged from the parliamentary record before adjourning the House amid the uproar. (ANI)
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