2 weeks ago
Modi, Shah Eclipsed by Opposition Challenge During Monsoon Session
India's Parliament is a meeting place where elected leaders discuss laws and answer questions.
During the Monsoon Session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah mostly stayed in their offices instead of going into the meeting hall.
The opposition leaders said the two men were hiding because they were afraid to face their questions.
One big question was why the police used pellet guns on protesters at Jantar Mantar.
Another was about students who were hurt while protesting because NEET exam papers had leaked.
The leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, said Mr Shah was acting like a coward.
Mr Shah wrote a letter saying he would come and talk if the opposition asked him properly.
Because the two leaders stayed away, junior ministers handled important bills, like the one changing Kerala's name to Keralam.
Surveys show that fewer people trust Parliament than before.
This has left Mr Modi and Mr Shah facing a serious political challenge.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah stayed in their parliamentary offices for almost all 19 sittings of the Monsoon Session, which ran from July 20 to August 13 and was adjourned sine die on Thursday.
The Opposition, led by Rahul Gandhi, accused both leaders of running away and showing contempt for Parliament, with Mr Gandhi describing Mr Shah as behaving like a coward.
Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan, the Rajya Sabha Chairman, asked Mr Shah on August 6 to address Opposition concerns about violence against students outraged by repeated NEET paper leaks.
Legislation including the Kerala name-change to Keralam, the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill and the National Cooperative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill was steered by junior ministers in the leaders' absence.
Lokniti-CSDS surveys found that trust in Parliament fell from 49 percent in 2005 to 27 percent in 2021.
- Who
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, challenged by the Opposition led by Rahul Gandhi
- What
- The two leaders stayed out of the House for almost the entire Monsoon Session, drawing accusations of contempt for Parliament over pellet gun use at Jantar Mantar and violence against students protesting NEET paper leaks.
- Where
- India's Parliament, in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, and at the Jantar Mantar protest site.
- When
- July 20 to August 13, during Parliament's Monsoon Session (19 sittings, adjourned sine die on Thursday).
- Why
- The Opposition demanded that the home minister answer questions about who ordered pellet gun use against protesters and about violence against students outraged by repeated NEET paper leaks.
Opposition (INDIA bloc)
Government (NDA)
Absence from Parliament
Opposition (INDIA bloc)
Modi and Shah ran away from the House and showed contempt for Parliament; as elected MPs they are accountable to it and must answer its questions.
Government (NDA)
Via parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju and a letter to Speaker Om Birla, Shah said he was willing to be present in the Lok Sabha for as long as needed if the Opposition, through the Speaker, fixed a time for a debate on student protests.
Pellet guns at Jantar Mantar
Opposition (INDIA bloc)
The home minister must explain who ordered the use of pellets against protesters at Jantar Mantar; refusing to answer does not remove his accountability.
Government (NDA)
As reported, Shah did not respond to the Rajya Sabha Chairman's August 6 request that he come and speak on violence against students, and no explanation for the pellet use was given in the House.
Key facts
- Parliament session
- Monsoon Session
- Session dates
- July 20 - August 13 (19 sittings)
- Leaders who stayed out of the House
- Narendra Modi and Amit Shah
- Leader of Opposition
- Rahul Gandhi
- Bills handled by junior ministers
- Kerala name change to Keralam; Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill; National Cooperative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill
- 2024 election vote shares
- NDA 42.5%, BJP 37%, INDIA bloc 40.6%
- Trust in Parliament (Lokniti-CSDS)
- 27% in 2021, down from 49% in 2005
- Upcoming election
- Uttar Pradesh Assembly election due in 2027











