By MANISH ANAND
By not facing parliament and Opposition on a question that is only gaining intensity with the passage of the days, Amit Shah risks a severe damage to his reputation of being Modi’s most combative minister. This may have political repercussions within the BJP as well.
New Delhi, August 7, 2026 — Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah has not yet explained why the police resorted to lathicharge, teargas, and even use pellet guns on protesting youth led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). Parliament in its ongoing Monsoon session is largely disrupted for Shah’s absence from the two Houses, while the Opposition demands his answer on CJP protest crackdown.
As is the case in passing bills, parliament despite din is passing legislative proposals — without debate. Contentious bills such as FCRA amendment and another on UPI transactions have been passed with almost zero discussions.
The Opposition is demanding the presence of Shah in parliament. Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan on Thursday urged upon Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs to convey the “sense of the House” to the government.
Shah has briefly been seen in parliament. He had spoken ahead of the passage of the FCRA amendment bills. That was brief and quick.
Shah is neither away from New Delhi nor he’s unwell, per publicly known inputs. He even is seen to be attending to his office in parliament. Officials visit his office in parliament. He has also been seen chatting with media persons in parliament. But he’s mostly staying away from attending proceedings of the two houses of parliament.
The July 20 CJP student protest crackdown, which left several injured and a few reportedly even with pellet injuries, continues to grab global headlines. As Home Minister and with direct administrative control of the Delhi Police, the Opposition in parliament wants Shah to explain his position. The Opposition is asking: who gave the order?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance in parliament has been sharply going down since his second term at the helm of the government. Yet Shah used to be regular in parliament. With his presence, Shah used to rally the BJP MPs in both the Houses of parliament.
By not attending parliament, Shah seems to bank on the strategy that the issue of the July 20 CJP crackdown will drop from the popular narrative once Monsoon session of parliament is adjourned sine die. For deflections, mainstream media has sought to go with the BJP’s bid for passage of a delimitation bill along with an amendment to Women’s Reservation in legislatures.
But Shah’s strategy may prove ineffective as questions don’t seem vanishing. Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the RSS, had to face the question at a Mumbai event on Thursday. He left none in doubt in saying that the response to the CJP protest from the government wasn’t up to the mark.
By not facing parliament and Opposition on a question that is only gaining intensity with the passage of the days, Shah risks a severe damage to his reputation of being Modi’s most combative minister. This may have political repercussions within the BJP as well.
(This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author’s own.)
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