Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Monday that the deadlock in Parliament will continue until Union Home Minister Amit Shah makes a statement on police allegedly using excessive force against youth protesters in Delhi on July 20.

On the other hand, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that Shah was ready to speak about the protests against the alleged mismanagement of competitive exams and the police action, if the Opposition does not disrupt proceedings in the House, reported PTI.

The police in the national capital and the central armed police forces report to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

The Monsoon session of Parliament, which began on July 20, is set to conclude on August 13. As the Parliament continues to see repeated adjournments, several bills have not been listed so far, according to media reports.

The Congress has issued a whip to its MPs, directing them to be present in both Houses on August 10, August 11 and August 12, when “very important” matters are expected to be discussed, reported PTI. The party has also urged its INDIA bloc allies to ensure that their MPs attend Parliament on all three days.

Meanwhile, the Opposition parties have been demanding that Shah make a statement in Parliament about the alleged police excesses.

On July 29, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged in the Lok Sabha that the home minister had “authorised the shooting of our students” during the youth protests.

“He put the pellets into the blood of our students,” the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.

Gandhi also claimed that the students had raised “uncomfortable questions” that the home ministry was “too scared to answer”.

The protests against alleged mismanagement of several competitive examinations had begun on June 6, when the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign staged a demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union education minister at the time.

On July 20, thousands joined the protest. This came two days after the police forcibly took activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike for three weeks, to hospital.

The protesters’ march to Parliament was met with a crackdown by the police. Dozens were injured as the police used lathis, fired tear gas shells and pellet guns against the demonstrators. The police action turbocharged the agitation, which spread to other parts of the country. Pradhan resigned as the education minister on July 25.

Written by Anamika Pathak. Edited by Sneha.

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