Rahul's 'Amit Shah ordered firing' claim rocks Parliament; BJP demands apology; bill passed amid uproar

The claim prompted an immediate protest from the treasury benches, with the BJP demanding an unconditional apology and the removal of the remarks from the House records.

The standoff disrupted proceedings and eventually led to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 being passed by a voice vote amid noisy Opposition protests.

BJP seeks apology, Speaker drawn into dispute

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju immediately objected to Gandhi's statement during the debate, saying the allegation was made without evidence.

He urged Speaker Om Birla to expunge the remarks and insisted that Gandhi apologise before the House could continue functioning.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh backed the demand, following which the House descended into chaos and proceedings were adjourned around 1.40 pm, with Gandhi yet to complete his speech.

Series of meetings follow adjournment

After the adjournment, Rijiju met Home Minister Amit Shah at Parliament House. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, BJP MP Anil Baluni and party spokesperson Sambit Patra were also present during the discussions.

Rijiju later lodged a formal protest with Speaker Om Birla.

Soon afterwards, Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal and Gaurav Gogoi met the Speaker, leading to a discussion between the two sides in Birla's presence.

The Union Minister reiterated that Gandhi must withdraw or apologise for linking Shah to the alleged firing, describing it as a serious and irresponsible allegation.

Congress leaders, however, maintained that Gandhi should first be allowed to complete his speech.

Government decides to push bill through

According to reports, the government decided that if Gandhi refused to apologise, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh would deliver the government's reply and the bill would be taken up for passage, even though several Opposition MPs were still scheduled to participate in the debate.

As events unfolded, those members did not get the opportunity to speak.

Jitendra Singh rebuts Rahul Gandhi's allegation

When the House reconvened after 3 pm, Jitendra Singh began replying to the debate. Congress MPs rushed into the Well of the House, raising slogans and demanding that Rahul Gandhi be permitted to resume his speech.

Responding to Gandhi's allegations, Singh said the Leader of the Opposition was factually incorrect and lacked administrative understanding of the legal process.

He asserted that the authority to order police firing rests only with a magistrate or sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), not with a Union minister.

Singh also maintained that no firing had taken place during the protest, stating that security personnel had used tear gas instead.

Bill cleared amid opposition protest

Amid the continuing uproar, the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 was passed by a voice vote.

The Lok Sabha was subsequently adjourned for the day at 3.25 pm, bringing an end to another stormy sitting marked by political confrontation over the CJP protest controversy.