Kharge-Rijiju face-off in Rajya Sabha; opposition stalls House over Amit Shah
The Indian Rajya Sabha passed the Appropriation Bill 2026 amid significant parliamentary disruption. Opposition members, led by Mallikarjun Kharge, repeatedly stalled proceedings to demand a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah, leading to heated exchanges with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing tensions between the Indian government and the opposition, impacting the efficiency of the legislative process and the functioning of the upper house.
NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha on Thursday cleared the Appropriation Bill, 2026, which authorises withdrawal of funds from the Consolidated Fund of India to cover excess expenditure of around Rs 54,067 crore incurred on certain services during the financial year that ended on March 31, 2023. The bill was returned to Lok Sabha after the members' approval through a voice vote - completing the parliamentary process for a Money Bill.During the day, RS saw multiple adjournments, as the opposition members demanded home minister Amit Shah's presence in the House, leading to RS chairperson C P Radhakrishnan asking parliamentary affairs minister, Kiren Rijiju to convey their sentiments to Shah.In the morning session, the upper House saw two adjournments amid the opposition members also demanding that the chairperson allow the leader of the opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge, to speak.
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