Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the Central government on Wednesday for attempting to impose a “time limit” on its parliamentary response, calling the move “undemocratic” and accusing it of offering “empty statements” instead of genuine answers.
Yadav’s comments followed Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement that a detailed discussion on student protests concerning the NEET paper leak would begin in Parliament at 3 PM.
In a social media post, Yadav stated, “The time limit that the government wants to set for responding in Parliament is undemocratic in itself. In fact, this won’t be a response; it will be an empty statement.”
He alleged the ruling party is seeking to evade constitutional responsibilities and claimed the BJP intends to end the Monsoon Session prematurely. “The truth is that the BJP doesn’t even want any response to be given; it is simply eager to end the session. Responsibility and accountability are fulfilled not by any condition of time, but by the logic of duty. This is not some formality for a superficial resolution of curiosity, but an extremely serious issue of gross misconduct and ill intent toward both ‘God and man’,” Yadav added.
The SP leader also remarked that the public demands concrete action rather than political rhetoric, emphasising, “The country is not in the mood to listen to speeches!”
These remarks followed Shah’s statement that the government was ready to engage in a thorough parliamentary debate on the student protests linked to the NEET paper leak, requesting the Opposition to submit a letter to the Speaker by 2 PM to start the discussion at 3 PM.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Shah said, “Ever since the Parliament session began, I have been coming to Parliament continuously and sitting in my chamber. Since the opposition is not letting Parliament function in both houses, what can anyone do by going there? … From 3:00 PM today until 3:00 PM tomorrow, I will sit in the House myself, listen to everyone, and answer everything. The government has nothing to hide… From 3:00 PM today until late night as long as they sit, and tomorrow until 3:00 PM, we are even ready to suspend Question Hour if the Speaker permits. I am ready for the discussion. I will sit myself, note down everything, and answer everything so that everything becomes clear to the people of the country.”
The comments arise amid ongoing tensions between the government and Opposition caused by recent student protests over the NEET paper leak and police actions against demonstrators, which have resulted in repeated disruptions in Parliament. Opposition parties are demanding answers, with Rahul Gandhi seeking a response from Shah.
