Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi lead Opposition protest in Parliament

New Delhi: Members of Parliament belonging to the INDIA bloc, the protest led by the Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest march in the Parliament complex on August 5, 2026, over the police (Security Forces) excesses action against the innocent students in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on July 20, 2026, during ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest and the theft of offerings at the Sri Ram Temple, demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah make statements in Parliament on both issues. The march began from the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Prerna Sthal and proceeded to Makar Dwar inside the Parliament complex.

INDIA bloc MPs carried a giant banner reading “Amit Shah Jawab Do” (Amit Shah, Answer Us) and raised slogans targeting the BJP over the theft of donations at the Shri Ram Temple. They also demanded the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, with the protest coinciding with the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370.

Speaking to reporters during the protest, Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge reiterated the Opposition’s demand that both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister should come to Parliament and make statements on these issues. He said that the Opposition was ready for a discussion, asserting that dialogue in Parliament was the only way to resolve such serious matters. Congress President noted that despite several days of the ongoing Parliament-Monsoon session, neither the Prime Minister nor the Home Minister had appeared in the House to address the issues, calling it an insult to the Parliament. He said that they did not consider it their responsibility to remain accountable to Parliament and the people, adding that “their ego is preventing them from coming to the House.”

In a post on social media, Congress President Shri Malikarjun Kharge questioned why the Home Minister was avoiding making a statement on the atrocities against students and asked whether the Prime Minister was not accountable for the theft of offerings at the Shri Ram Temple.

Shri Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly demanded accountability from the Home Minister, describing the police action as a “barbaric assault” on peacefully protesting students. He has sought answers on whether pellet guns and other forceful measures were authorised, questioned the deployment of plain-clothes personnel during the operation, and called for a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the incident.

Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi also attacked the government in a social media post, saying that the Home Minister was “hiding his face because he is guilty of what happened to the students.” In another post, he challenged Amit Shah to come to Parliament and answer who had ordered the police action against students.

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) Shri K.C. Venugopal accused the Modi government of refusing to listen to the Opposition and the public. He said that the Opposition had been seeking discussions in Parliament on the lathi-charge on students, the theft of Shri Ram Temple donations, the E20 ethanol issue, and restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, but the government was unwilling to allow debate on matters of public concern.

Taking a swipe at Amit Shah, Shri K.C. Venugopal said that it was ironic that the minister expected to introduce the delimitation legislation was not attending Parliament. He demanded that the Home Minister clarify who had ordered the firing on students on July 20, saying that Shah was unable to answer because he was guilty.

Shri K.C. Venugopal also said that the government was interested only in passing legislation of its choice while refusing meaningful parliamentary debate. Referring to the proposed amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), he said that the Opposition would not accept the Bill in its earlier form and would strongly oppose its passage. He argued that the mindset that the RSS can do anything while other NGOs cannot is unacceptable.

Congress General Secretary Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also criticised the Home Minister, saying that the office carried constitutional responsibility towards the people. She said that India was a democracy and “not anyone’s royal court.” Observing that the firing on students, use of pellet guns, tear gas and lathi-charge must have been carried out under official orders, she said that the Home Minister should accept direct responsibility for the incident.

Several senior leaders from INDIA bloc parties joined the demonstration, including Samajwadi Party MPs Smt. Dimple Yadav and Shri Dharmendra Yadav, Trinamool Congress MPs Smt. Mahua Moitra and Smt. Sagarika Ghose, NCP (SP) leader Smt. Supriya Sule, JMM MP Smt. Mahua Maji, RSP MP Shri N.K. Premachandran, along with several other Members of Parliament.