NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed without debate two more Bills, including one seeking to rename Kerala as Keralam, as Opposition members continued to protest, demanding the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the House over police excesses against student protesters in Delhi on July 20.
The House was adjourned for the day soon after the passage of the two Bills, with the logjam showing no signs of abating despite the government on Monday offering a discussion on "student and youth agitations" across states and a reply by Shah, including on the police action.
That the stalemate would continue had become clear on Monday, when Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge made it plain that Shah's response on "general things" would cut no ice and he must specifically address the circumstances surrounding the alleged use of pellet guns against student protesters on July 20.
The Congress has also said that a discussion on the alleged theft of funds at the Ram temple in Ayodhya was "non-negotiable", as was an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding another point of contention between the government and the Opposition.
Earlier, Speaker Om Birla expressed anguish over the repeated disruptions, as the proceedings, which began at 11 am, were adjourned until 2 pm, within minutes. He appealed to the government and the Opposition to find a common ground so that the House could debate key Bills that bring "far-reaching changes in the country".
"I feel anguished when the House does not function," Birla said, and asked the Opposition members not to display placards inside the House as it is against parliamentary norms.
After the House reassembled at 2 pm amid uproar, the Opposition members continued to raise slogans and carry placards to the Well. TDP MP Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was on the chair, allowed laying of papers on the table amid the din.
Shah was absent from the House even though the day's list of business had indicated that he would move the two Bills listed against his name. Subsequently, the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, which seeks to change the state's name to Keralam, was taken up for consideration and passage.
The Bill, moved by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, was passed by voice vote without any debate amid sloganeering.
"It seems the Congress MPs are not in favour of the renaming," Rai said, taking a swipe at the party, which governs Kerala.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also took a dig at the Congress, saying he was saddened that party MP K C Venugopal, who is elected from Kerala, could not speak on the Bill.
Soon after, Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol moved the National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which was also passed without debate amid the continued ruckus.
Of the 11 Bills cleared by the Lok Sabha so far, only two were debated, while the remaining were passed without discussion amid Opposition protests. The Opposition has been protesting for more than three weeks, demanding Shah's presence in the House.
With the Monsoon Session scheduled to conclude on Thursday, uncertainty remains over the fate of the women's reservation-linked delimitation bill, which could not be passed in the previous session, and the Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Amendment Bill.