Aazad Samaj Party-Kanshi Ram president Chandrashekhar Azad on Tuesday, 11 August asserted that Parliament is not the exclusive domain of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC), demanding that issues raised by smaller parties — including student grievances at a Lucknow university and recruitment exam irregularities in Jharkhand — receive floor time in the House.

Azad's Core Demand

Speaking to reporters, Azad said: 'The House does not belong only to the BJP and Congress; there are many other parties here, and they also have several issues.' He specifically cited the case of students at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) in Lucknow, who had reportedly attempted to organise a procession to mark Babasaheb Ambedkar's birth anniversary. According to Azad, the government subsequently filed cases against those students and imposed fines.

Questioning the due-process implications, he added: 'How can action be taken without giving them a hearing?' Azad said he had reviewed videos in which students alleged they were not receiving adequate food in their hostel mess facilities — a welfare concern he argued deserved parliamentary attention alongside the legal action against them.

Jharkhand Student Protests: Azad Pledges Support

Azad also addressed the ongoing student agitation in Jharkhand over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC). Expressing solidarity with the protesters, he said: 'Once the House concludes, if their demands are not met, I will go there and support them. I assure you of this.'

This comes amid a broader pattern of student-led protests over examination transparency that has surfaced across multiple states in recent months, reflecting what critics describe as systemic failures in public recruitment processes.

BJP Bandh and ABVP Gherao in Ranchi

Separately, the BJP called a state-wide bandh in Jharkhand on Tuesday, while the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) organised an Assembly gherao programme in Ranchi — both in protest against a police lathicharge on students agitating over the alleged JPSC and JSSC irregularities. The bandh drew a mixed response across the state.

BJP workers staged demonstrations and blocked roads at several locations in the state capital. ABVP activists who attempted to march towards the Jharkhand Assembly were stopped and detained by police. Despite sporadic disruptions, normal life remained largely unaffected in many parts of Ranchi during the morning hours, with most commercial establishments staying open and vehicular movement remaining largely smooth.

Wider Context: Smaller Parties and Parliamentary Space

Azad's remarks reflect a recurring tension in Indian parliamentary politics — the perception among regional and smaller parties that legislative time and media attention are disproportionately absorbed by the two dominant national formations. Notably, this is not the first session in which smaller-party leaders have raised concerns about floor-time equity. With the monsoon session already marked by disruptions, Azad's call for broader issue inclusion underscores the challenge of balancing competing legislative priorities.

How the ruling dispensation and the Opposition respond to these demands — particularly on the Jharkhand student issue — will be closely watched as the session continues.