Protests by the BJP on Monday claiming that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar suggested changing the Constitution to provide for religion-based reservation rocked both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha with Congress-led Opposition alleging that the ruling party is raising a “fake issue” to stall Parliament. Shivakumar, has, however, said that he never stated that the Constitution will be amended in any manner to give religion based reservation.

Opposition claimed that the ruling BJP wanted to prevent them from raising the issue of a large amount of cash found in a judge’s residence with senior Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra claiming that the government seems to have made up its mind to not let the Lok Sabha (LS) function.

While Trinamool Congress floor leader Derek O’Brien claimed it was a “new low” in Parliament as MPs belonging to the ruling BJP and NDA disrupted Rajya Sabha.

In both the Houses, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju raised the issue, claiming that NDA MPs are agitated as a person sitting on a Constitutional post has made a statement on changing the Constitution to facilitate reservation for Muslims, which is “unacceptable”.

The reference was to provide a four per cent quota to Muslims on contracts in Karnataka.

“How can the House watch in silence? Congress should clarify…the person should be sacked. You claim to give reservations to Muslims and resort to theatrics of carrying a photograph of Babasaheb Ambedkar and a copy of the Constitution in your pocket,” Rijiju said.

BJP members were on their feet, apparently raising the issue of reservation for Muslims in government contracts, when the Lok Sabha convened at 11 am. Samajwadi Party members too rushed to the Well waving posters while trying to flag matters of atrocities against women in Uttar Pradesh.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla strongly disapproved of SP members carrying posters to the House and adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon. Lok Sabha witnessed two adjournments in the morning session while in the afternoon, it resumed business with a debate on the Finance Bill, 2025.

When the House re-convened, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the remarks by a person sitting on a Constitutional post to change the Constitution to facilitate four per cent reservation for Muslims is unacceptable.

“How can the House watch in silence? Congress should clarify … the person should be sacked. You claim to give reservations to Muslims and resort to theatrics of carrying a photograph of Babasaheb Ambedkar and a copy of the Constitution in your pocket,” Rijiju said.

Some Congress members tried to counter Rijiju, leading to din in the House. BJP member Jagdambika Pal, who was in the chair, tried to restore order and later adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.

Amid protests by Congress MPs, Leader of House in Rajya Sabha JP Nadda alleged that the Congress was shredding the Constitution to pieces and claimed that BR Ambedkar had made it clear while framing the Constitution that “reservation will not be done on basis of religion.

When Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asked what his demand was, Nadda said such laws and rules should be withdrawn and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also Congress president, should respond to it.

Kharge on his part said no one can change the Constitution provided by Ambedkar. “We are the people protecting the Constitution. We are the ones who did Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and these are the ones who believe in Bharat Todo (break India,” Kharge said.

Kharge said Shivakumar did not speak about changing the Constitution and none of them would do so. “Such comments come from the other side. Hasn’t (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat said it? At any cost, we will save the Constitution. They are saying this to suppress the issue of cash found at a judge’s residence.” The Congress chief said.

Nadda countered Kharge and said not just in Karnataka, the Congress government in Telangana has also cleared legislation to provide quota for Muslims. He alleged that the Congress is providing quota to Muslims through backdoor by enlisting the minority community as OBC. As protests continued, Upper House Dy Chairman Harivansh adjourned the House for 15 minutes and when it reconvened, sloganeering restarted, forcing an adjournment for the day.