Deadlock in Parliament will continue till HM Shah gives statement: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday,August 10 asserted that the deadlock between the opposition and the government in Parliament will continue till Union Home Minister Amit Shah makes a statement over alleged police excesses on students.

The day also saw opposition MPs, including Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, protested before the Parliament House complex over the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the "police excesses" against student protesters.

With only four days of the Monsoon session remaining, the fate of major bills on women's reservation, delimitation and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) remains uncertain amid the ongoing logjam in Parliament.

None of these bills figured in the list of business for the Lok Sabha for Monday.

"I think the deadlock in Parliament will continue till the Union Home Minister gives a statement," Priyanka Gandhi told reporters in the Parliament House complex.

While a few opposition parties have shown signs of mellowing their stand on the women's quota and delimitation bills after the government's outreach, the Congress and most of its allies have vowed to oppose any move to bring in these and the FCRA Amendment Bill.

The Constitution Amendment Bill that proposes 33 per cent reservation for women in 2029 and a redrawing of Lok Sabha constituencies to expand the House was defeated in April due to failure to secure a two-thirds majority.

The FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25 this year and is to be taken up for discussion and passage.

"If the central government thinks they can cook up and introduce the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill within these two or three days, they should keep that wish to themselves," AICC general secretary KC Venugopal had said on Sunday.

Venugopal had alleged that the proposed legislation targeted minorities and NGOs and said that the opposition would not allow it to be passed.

"Even if Amit Shah comes to pass this anti-people bill, there is no doubt that he will have to face strong protests in Parliament. This bill is unconstitutional and anti-people. We will not allow such an anti-people and unconstitutional bill to be passed," Venugopal had told reporters in Alappuzha, Kerala.

The FCRA Bill seeks to significantly tighten the oversight of foreign-funded organisations, proposing the creation of a powerful new authority to seize and manage the assets of non-profits that lose their licence. It has been met with strong opposition from Christian organisations apart from political parties.

The Monsoon session, which started on July 20, has seen repeated adjournments and virtually no business except the debate on the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, which was passed by both Houses of Parliament.

Three more bills were passed in the two Houses with little or no debate and two other bills were passed by the Lok Sabha, amid unrelenting protests by the opposition.

The Congress has issued a whip to its MPs in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, asking them to be present in their respective Houses on August 10, 11 and 12 as "very important" issues will be taken up for discussion. It has also conveyed to all its INDIA bloc allies to ensure that their MPs remain present on all three days.At their protest before the pliement complex, the leaders demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah must come to Parliament and make a statement on the alleged police excesses during the July 20 student protest over the paper leak issue.

Carrying placards against the government, the MPs protested in front of the Makar Dwar of Parliament with slogans such as 'chhanda chor, gaddi chor', 'Amit Shah jawaab do' and 'chanda chor kahan milenge, BJP ke daftar mein'.

The MPs also kept a donation box at the spot to symbolise the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple and lined up around them to raise slogans against the government.

The opposition MPs, mostly from the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, lined up behind a big banner that read 'Amit Shah jawaab do", and raised slogans against the Home Minister.

The INDIA bloc has vowed to corner the government on issues of alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple and the use of "brutal force" against students during their protests last week.

Earlier in the day, INDIA bloc parties' floor leaders met in Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge's chamber in Parliament complex, and vowed to corner the government on the two issues of "chhanda chori" and "police excesses" against students.

Both Houses of Parliament have remained deadlocked over the Opposition's demands with most of the legislative business being conducted amid din.