Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday launched a sharp verbal attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, raising questions on his silence over the police action against protestors during the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) ‘Chalo Sansad’ march on July 20, and also criticised his absence from the Parliament during the debate on examination reforms.

While participating in the discussion after the introduction of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Upper House, the Congress supremo accused the Home Minister of failing to respond to allegations surrounding the July 20 crackdown on student protestors at Jantar Mantar in the national capital. 

Addressing the house, Kharge asserted that despite the incident taking place in the national capital under the Home Ministry’s jurisdiction, Shah remained tight-lipped. He asked whether someone had ‘stitched’ the Home Minister’s mouth shut, prompting swift objections from BJP members, who termed the remark ‘unparliamentary.’

Kharge holds Shah accountable

Continuing his critique of Home Minister Shah, Kharge alleged that students participating in the protest had sustained severe injuries during police action, including pellet-like wounds which allegedly resulted in the loss of an eye, an ear and limbs among several protestors. 

He argued that Minister Shah, who was responsible for law and order in the national capital, should answer questions regarding the police action. Adding to this, he said that while Shah might remain silent during the Parliamentary proceedings, public accountability could not be avoided indefinitely. Kharge's aforementioned remarks also sparked further protests from Treasury Bench members. 

After objections were raised against his remarks, Kharge clarified that he had not used  unparliamentary language. He said his reference to ‘dragging’ the Home Minister out referred to the collective strength of the people, such as students, women and citizens, holding the government accountable through democratic means rather than any personal threat. 

Rahul Gandhi takes aim at Centre on ‘X’

Earlier in the day, LoP in the Lok Sabha and senior leader of the Indian National Congress, Rahul Gandhi posted a message on his official ‘X’ handle, alleging that Minister Shah’s silence and absence from the Parliament over the controversy ‘reeked of guilt.’ Apart from Gandhi, several Congress MPs have also demanded that Minister Shah explain allegations pertaining to the reported use of force against protestors and respond to claims concerning the alleged authorisation of police action during the demonstration. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Why is Amit Shah so scared of coming to Parliament and explaining the brutal violence against students?<br><br>It reeks of guilt.</p>&mdash; Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://x.com/RahulGandhi/status/2082720916040229370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

On the other hand, the BJP has consistently refuted the allegations made by the Opposition regarding the incident.

Kharge slams anti-paper leak bill too

During the debate, the Congress chief also dismissed the proposed amendments under the newly-introduced anti-paper leak bill as inadequate, saying that they merely strengthened punitive provisions without addressing the underlying causes of repeated examination paper leaks.

He further said the legislation focuses primarily on harsher penalties, increased fines, formation of special task forces and fast-track courts, but does little to reform the conduct of exams or prevent any potential paper leaks in the future.