The Rajya Sabha descended into disorder during Zero Hour on Friday, 7 August, as Opposition members launched sustained sloganeering to press for Home Minister Amit Shah's appearance in the House, rendering proceedings inaudible and forcing a brief adjournment till noon.

What Triggered the Uproar

Opposition members, led by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, demanded that the Home Minister come to the House and make a statement. Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan asked Kharge to speak only if he had something new to add, to which Kharge reiterated the same demand. Kharge also pointed out that the Chair had already conveyed the Opposition's request to the government, but the government had not respected even the Chair's appeal.

Government Pushes Back

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju strongly contested Kharge's position, accusing the Opposition of deliberately disrupting the House. Rijiju stated that the Home Minister is present in Parliament from morning to evening and appears in the House only when departmental business is formally listed. He recalled that the Leader of Opposition had made only an observation the previous day — not a formal demand — and that the Chair had issued no direction for the Minister's attendance. Rijiju further challenged that Opposition members would not remain in the House to hear the Home Minister's response even if he did appear, and underscored that the Opposition cannot dictate the timing of a Minister's presence.

Proceedings Resume Briefly

Following the heated exchange, Chairman Radhakrishnan permitted three members to raise their matters: Prakash Chik Baraik of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from West Bengal, P.P. Suneer of the Communist Party of India (CPI) from Kerala, and Amar Pal Maurya of the BJP from Uttar Pradesh. The House was then adjourned till noon.

Parliamentary Business Tabled Earlier

Before the disruption, the morning session saw several significant committee reports placed on record. The 27th and 28th Reports on action taken on Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Defence for 2026-27 were tabled, covering Defence Public Sector Undertakings, the Directorate of Ordnance, quality assurance directorates, the National Cadet Corps, and a review of Sainik Schools, the Rashtriya Indian Military College, and Rashtriya Military Schools.

Sudha Murty and Kavita Patidar presented final action taken statements of the Committee on the Empowerment of Women on the working of the National Commission for Women, State Commissions, and health facilities for tribal women. Govindbhai Laljibhai Dholakia and Satish Poonia tabled statements from the Standing Committee on Labour, Textiles and Skill Development on schemes of the Central Silk Board and Demands for Grants of the Ministries of Labour and Employment and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Mayankkumar Nayak tabled the 10th Report of the Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes on OBC representation in employment and welfare in PSUs under the Department of Posts. Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma made statements on the implementation status of recommendations from Standing Committee reports covering the Ministries of Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Steel and Heavy Industries.

Motions and Government Business

L. Murugan moved a motion for the election of one member to the Central Silk Board. Pratap Rao Jadhav moved a motion for election of one woman member to the National Assisted Reproductive Technology and Surrogacy Board. Chirag Paswan moved a motion for election of one member to the Council of the National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management to fill a vacancy. Murugan also made a statement on government business for the remaining part of the 271st Session.

With the Opposition showing no signs of softening its demand, the standoff over the Home Minister's appearance is likely to continue when the House reconvenes.