Bill to bar state taxes on minerals tabled in Parliament, Oppn calls for committee review

On Tuesday, rival protests unfolded in the Parliament complex, with NDA and Congress-led opposition MPs facing off against each other. The ruling alliance accused the opposition of evading parliamentary discussions while raising concerns externally, whereas the opposition called for accountability from Home Minister Amit Shah regarding police actions against students during the NEET protests.

NDA MPs marched from the Parliament Library to Makar Dwar, shouting slogans like "Rahul Gandhi Jawab Do" and "Rahul Gandhi Bhago Maat." They criticized Rahul and the opposition for shirking a parliamentary debate on student protests in Jharkhand, despite the government's decision to address the issue.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi denounced the use of force against protesting students in Jharkhand on Monday. The government had announced a parliamentary debate on student protests across the nation, with the Home Minister expected to preside over the discussion. However, Rahul questioned the government's approach, asserting that the country was not interested in his opinion on general topics and wanted to know if he had sanctioned the use of pellet guns against students.

The government and opposition have also clashed over Parliament's functioning. BJP leaders questioned Rahul Gandhi's response to the alleged use of lathis and water cannons against protesting students in Jharkhand. BJP MP Anurag Thakur called for justice for the youth of Jharkhand, claiming that their mistreatment revealed Rahul's mindset.

On the opposition side, MPs such as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, along with MP Dimple Yadav, organized a separate protest within the Parliament complex. They demanded accountability from the Home Minister over alleged police excesses against students during the July 20 protest in Delhi and raised concerns about alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, as well as the "police excesses" against student protesters.

The rival protests unfolded amid heightened political attention on student agitations nationwide. In Jharkhand, thousands of aspiring job seekers marched to the state Assembly in Ranchi on Monday, protesting alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations. Police responded with lathis and water cannons after clashes erupted.