Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, 12 August declared he was “ready to answer everything” on the police action against students during the July 20 Parliament march over the NEET paper leak controversy, and accused the Opposition of deliberately scuttling a discussion rather than allowing it to proceed. The standoff has repeatedly disrupted Parliament’s ongoing Monsoon Session.

Shah’s Challenge to the Opposition

Speaking to reporters on the Parliament premises, Shah pushed back sharply against Opposition claims that he had been evading the House. He said he had attended the session regularly and remained in his chamber, but argued that the Opposition’s own disruptions had made any meaningful engagement impossible.

“Terms like ‘laapata’, ‘bhaag gaye’, ‘Bhagode’ are the kind of language increasingly being heard in India’s public and parliamentary life in recent times. I have been coming to Parliament regularly since the Session began; I sit in my chamber. However, since the Opposition is not allowing Parliament to function in both the Houses, what is one supposed to do by going there?” Shah said.

The Government’s Offer: Discussion from 3 PM Wednesday to 3 PM Thursday

Shah put a concrete proposal on the table: if the Opposition submitted a letter to the Speaker by 2 pm on Wednesday, the government was prepared to hold a discussion from 3 pm Wednesday through 3 pm Thursday — a full 24-hour window. He said he would personally sit in the House, hear every point, and respond to each one by the Thursday deadline.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had already signalled the government’s readiness for a detailed discussion on the student protests, Shah noted. The Home Minister maintained that the government had accepted the Opposition’s original demand and had nothing to conceal.

“This is what the Opposition’s initial demand was, and we agreed to it. I have also stated that I am ready to answer every question in Parliament. However, they do not want the discussion to take place. Now, the public needs to decide who is running away,” Shah said.

What the Row Is About

The Opposition has demanded a statement from Shah on the police action against students who marched to Parliament on 20 July to protest the alleged NEET paper leak. The march and the subsequent police response drew widespread attention, with Opposition parties calling for accountability. The failure to hold a structured debate has led to repeated adjournments and disruptions across both Houses during the Monsoon Session.

Shah argued that an issue of this gravity should not be “reduced to a brief response or statement” and required “a detailed and constructive” discussion so that all aspects of the incident could be examined properly.

The Political Stakes

The NEET controversy has become one of the most politically charged issues of the current session, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government facing sustained pressure over examination integrity and law enforcement conduct. Shah’s offer of an extended overnight discussion is a pointed move — framing the government as willing and the Opposition as obstructionist.

“The NDA government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is ready to discuss anything; they just need to let Parliament function,” Shah added.

Whether the Opposition accepts the proposal or continues its disruption strategy is set to define the remaining days of the Monsoon Session.