“Who stopped him,” Congress MP KC Venugopal accuses HM of continued absence from Parliament

New Delhi [India], August 7 (ANI): Congress MP KC Venugopal on Friday accused the Home Minister Amit Shah of continued absence from Parliament and questioned Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju for blaming the opposition for the lack of business in Parliament.
"The biggest joke in this Parliament was Kiren Rijiju ji's statement. Who stopped him (Union Home Minister Amit Shah) from coming (to the Parliament)? Who stopped him?" Venugopal questioned.
The remark comes after Kiren Rijiju said that the opposition cannot decide which minister will come to the House and when. Amid allegations of not attending Parliament, he claimed that Home Minister Shah comes to the Parliament complex daily.
The Union Minister said, "The LoP is misleading the House. There has been no direction by the Chair. I am saying this on the record: from the time Parliament begins in the morning till it ends at night, the Home Minister is in the Parliament. The minister responsible for the business before the House gives the reply. The opposition will not decide which minister is to come and when."
The Congress MP also dared the authorities to stop the party's upcoming "Chhatron Ki Goonj" program in Prayagraj, asserting that the event will proceed as scheduled. Speaking to reporters, Venugopal invited the public to the event while challenging those intending to disrupt it.
"First of all, the programme is happening tomorrow, and you can see it. Anyone can attend. If anyone wants to stop it, let them try. But we will go ahead with it," Venugopal said.
Earlier, Lok Sabha LoP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has got a go-ahead from the administration to hold the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj. The cancellation of the booking for the venue scheduled to host the Congress leader's public interaction programme has been revoked.
The programme, scheduled to be held on August 8, had run into uncertainty earlier after the management of KP College revoked the permission granted for the use of its sports ground, citing academic concerns and a High Court order.
In a letter addressed to the President of the City Congress Committee, Prayagraj, the Acting President of Kayasth Pathshala, Chaudhary Jitendra Nath Singh, said the decision was taken following inputs from the college principal and in view of the Allahabad High Court's order dated August 14, 2025, which stressed that students' academic activities should not be disrupted.
The management further informed the Congress that the previously granted permission had been withdrawn and asked the organisers to collect the deposited amount from the office.
Alleging that the administration has been trying "every possible way" to stop his proposed 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme in Prayagraj, Rahul Gandhi asserted that he would continue to raise the voice of students despite the hurdles. (ANI)