4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 11, 2026 03:05 PM IST
With days to go for the end of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the impasse continued on Tuesday as the ruling alliance and the Opposition faced off in the Parliament complex, with Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra exchanging some words with protesting MPs from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
While the BJP MPs gathered outside Parliament’s Makar Dwar and protested against the violence on students in Jharkhand, the Opposition held a demonstration against the alleged theft of donation funds at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and demanded a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the police crackdown on protesters in Delhi on July 20.
As the Samajwadi Party (SP) contingent led the Opposition protest, Priyanka Gandhi tried to confront the BJP MPs, saying Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi had met the students from Jharkhand. In reply, the BJP MP from Surat, Mukesh Dalal, asked her why the LoP had not visited Jharkhand.
There were also heated exchanges between senior leaders such as BJP’s Tarun Chugh and Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad metres from the Makar Dwar, with both shouting slogans — “Rahul Gandhi maafi mange (Rahul Gandhi apologise)” and “Amit Shah maafi maange (Amit Shah apologise)” at each other as senior security officials kept both sides in check.
In line with Union Health Minister J P Nadda’s criticism the day before, MPs from the ruling NDA alliance accused the LoP of running away from the debate on students’ agitation and alleged that he had relegated the Jharkhand protests to the bottom of his list of priorities. Sources said the decision to hold the protest was taken at the NDA’s weekly meeting. It was decided that all senior MPs, except the ministers, would join the demonstration.
“Rahul Gandhi’s double-face has been exposed. Whether it is the streets or Parliament, his dual character has emerged. You don’t have a single word to say against the atrocities being committed against students by police in Jharkhand. On the one hand, you tried to hatch a conspiracy to politically hijack the students’ protest at Jantar Mantar; Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government accepted all their demands, but a twin face when it comes to Jharkhand?” Chugh, a Rajya Sabha member, said.
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BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal, who led the protests, said, “We are ready for a detailed discussion, but Rahul Gandhi, by changing the goalpost every day, still does not let the Parliament function…the Home Minister is ready to answer every question.”
Targeting the ruling party, Priyanka Gandhi said, “For the first time, I am seeing ruling party MPs protesting. We have forced them to do so. Now they should come forward and make a statement.”
“Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s concern towards students’ issues is very clear; he always wants to stand with students and has categorically stated that the attack on students in Ranchi is unacceptable, emphasising that their demands must be met and negotiated peacefully. The way the BJP and the RSS are getting involved to politicise the student movement is unacceptable,” Congress whip in the Lok Sabha, Manickam Tagore, told The Indian Express.
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Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav targeted the NDA over the Ram Temple issue, saying, “The temple donation theft case is not just national; it’s international. Billions of dollars have been sent from abroad, but we can’t trace where the gold and silver have gone. There’s no account for it… They’re toying with people’s faith. We cannot let go of this issue.”
Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) MP and Trinamool Congress (TMC) rebel Rachana Banerjee said the Opposition would have to answer the ruling alliance’s questions.