Rahul Gandhi: During a Lok Sabha debate on the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill 2026, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi directly blamed Home Minister Amit Shah for the police crackdown on students who marched toward Parliament on July 20 during a Cockroach Janta Party-led protest. Gandhi argued that Shah either ordered the use of pellet guns and lathis against the students, making him culpable, or was unaware of the operation, making him incompetent. His remarks triggered a heated uproar from the Treasury benches, and Speaker Om Birla curtailed his speech before the House passed the Bill by voice vote, despite Opposition demands that Gandhi be allowed to finish.
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Gandhi’s Follow-Up Charges
Gandhi later told reporters that his microphone had been muted after he named Shah in the House, framing it as an attempt to silence the “voice of students.” He formally urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove Shah from his post and called for a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the police action. He had earlier written to Shah directly, questioning who authorised the crackdown and calling it a “barbaric assault” on peaceful protesters. The government has denied the allegations, with ministers clarifying no firing took place and that force is typically authorised by magistrates rather than ministers.
Where the CJP Fits In
Rahul Gandhi:The protest at the center of the row was led by the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical youth movement that grew rapidly after the Chief Justice of India’s remarks comparing unemployed youth to “cockroaches.” The CJP‘s agitation over exam paper leaks had already drawn backing from several opposition parties, and Congress leaders, including Gandhi, have since aligned themselves more closely with its demands following the July 20 crackdown.
With the Bill already passed and the government rejecting Gandhi’s charges, the standoff looks set to continue outside Parliament — through further protests, legal petitions, and Congress’s push to keep the issue alive under its “Chhatron Ki Goonj” campaign.
