Replying to the debate on the bill, Singh dismissed Gandhi’s remarks blaming Shah for police action during the CJP-led student march to Parliament, saying the charge was factually incorrect and reflected a lack of understanding of established procedures.
“No shots were fired in the first place, the question of giving an order does not arise,” Singh said, adding the authority to order firing rests with a magistrate, not a minister, and that only tear gas was used during the protest.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju too objected to Gandhi’s allegation against Shah and demanded that he substantiate the charge or withdraw it.
“On what basis have you said this? This is highly objectionable. You should apologise,” Rijiju said, challenging Gandhi to explain the basis of accusing the Home Minister.
Attacking Gandhi further, Singh also rejected his claims regarding Shah’s security convoy and foreign travel, saying the Congress leader had made a series of factually incorrect assertions before leaving the House. “Without facts and without a sense of responsibility, saying something in the House and then leaving cannot be the behaviour of a responsible Leader of Opposition,” he said.
The political confrontation came as the Lok Sabha approved amendments to the anti-paper leak law, introduced days after nationwide student protests forced Dharmendra Pradhan to resign as education minister.
Defending the legislation, Singh said the amendments reflected a government “open to learning from experiences” and pointed out that 52 FIRs had been registered since the original law came into force in 2024.
