New Delhi : As the Monsoon Session of the Parliament entered its last day on Thursday, Samajwadi Party (SP) MP, Ram Gopal Yadav, targeted the BJP-led ruling NDA, remarking that irrespective of whoever is in power “they should not be stubborn in the face of Opposition’s demands”.

Yadav’s statement came amid the Parliament deadlock between the Centre and the Opposition over a debate on the alleged police brutality against student protesters during the July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ march, held over exam irregularities and NEET paper leaks.

Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament House, SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav said: “Some Bills were bulldozed through the House which is against the norms of the Parliament…When someone is in power, they should not be stubborn in the face of the Opposition’s demands. The Home Minister (Amit Shah) is ready to give a statement. His statement came yesterday. He said that questions should be given to the Speaker in writing, and they will reply to them. There has never been such a practice or tradition.”

“The convention has always been that ministers give statements, and MPs from all parties who want to ask questions can seek clarifications within the time limit…it is not like a press conference. They (ruling alliance) may say that the Opposition is running away but we can’t be a part of it when Parliamentary conventions are being broken,” he stated.

A day earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that he was “ready to answer everything” regarding the debate sought by the Opposition.

However, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, while commenting on the debate offer from Home Minister Shah, said on Wednesday that the Opposition was not interested in the Home Minister’s “imagination or lectures” and added that the young generation wants to know who gave orders to “shoot” at them.

Later on Wednesday, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that if the Congress and other Opposition parties agree to attend the discussion they sought even on the last day of the Parliament’s Monsoon Session on Thursday, the “Centre is willing to extend the time”.

Kolkata, Aug 12: Wahab Alam, the Pakistani national arrested in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, was sent by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to collect information about the Indian Army, Navy and Railways in the eastern sector of the country.

Alam was arrested in the Habra area of the district.

Insiders from the state police said that during the marathon interrogation by the sleuths of the Special Task Force (STF) of the state police, he had admitted that he entered India through the India-Nepal border in 2012 and has since been staying in different pockets of the state, shifting bases from time to time.

After his arrest, the STF sleuths also seized forged Indian identity documents from his possession, like an Aadhaar card, PAN card and EPIC card. It is learnt that he managed these forged identity documents through another person, Muhammad Izaz, who was also arrested by the STF in the Topsia area in East Kolkata following Alam’s interrogation.

In fact, state police insiders said that before shifting to Habra, from where he had been arrested, Alam used to stay at Izaz’s residence in Topsia. However, as per information collected by the STF sleuths, he left the Topsia area immediately after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise started in West Bengal earlier this year before the recently concluded Assembly polls.

STF sleuths found that Alam was probably planning to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, and hence decided to shift to Habra, which is fairly close to the India-Bangladesh border. The STF sleuths are currently interrogating Alam and Izaz to know about their other associates in the state.

Interrogation is also ongoing to find out the kind of information that Alam has already passed on to his handlers in Pakistan.

Reacting to media persons on the arrest of the Pakistani national, the state Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister, Agnimitra Paul, said that such elements could make their roots deeper in West Bengal because of the “nurturing by the previous Trinamool Congress regime”.

“My appeal to people is to be alert. If any suspicious persons or any suspicious activity is detected in your locality, kindly contact the local police station immediately,” she said.

New Delhi, Aug 12: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urging him to consult with the Opposition parties for a discussion on the NEET students’ protest, stating that in a democratic nation, “solutions emerge only through discussion and dialogue”.

He also reaffirmed his commitment to remain present in the Lok Sabha when the debate is scheduled and is willing to answer every question raised by the Opposition.

In his letter, HM Shah said: “You are aware that the Hon’ble Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju, has agreed on behalf of the Government, during the Business Advisory Committee meeting, to a discussion in Parliament regarding the student protests concerning the NEET examination.”

He mentioned that even before the Opposition’s request, the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, was discussed in the Parliament; however, “no Hon’ble Member of Parliament from the Opposition expressed any views regarding the NEET examination in the House at that time”.

Nevertheless, he said that the Centre is ready to discuss this issue again.

“I request you to consult with the Opposition and, based on mutual agreement, allocate as much time, whether in terms of days or hours, as you deem appropriate, starting today. I intend to remain present in the House during the scheduled time to participate in the discussion on this matter and am prepared to answer all questions raised by the Opposition,” the Home Minister said.

“In a democracy, solutions emerge only through discussion and dialogue. I have unwavering faith in democracy and democratic institutions, and I believe that this House exists precisely for the purpose of discussion and dialogue,” he added.

“Therefore, I urge you to consult with Opposition leaders and facilitate a discussion on this important subject in a constructive atmosphere, so that all Hon’ble Members, from both the Treasury and Opposition benches, may present their valuable opinions and views,” HM Shah added.

This comes against the backdrop of the Opposition’s questions over the Home Minister’s “absence” from the House. The Opposition has sought a statement on the police action against students who participated in the protest march. The standoff has led to repeated disruptions.

Earlier in the day, speaking to reporters on the Parliament premises, Home Minister Shah hit back at the Opposition over allegations that he was avoiding the Parliament and said that he had been regularly attending the ongoing Monsoon Session.

HM Shah said that Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju had already made it clear that the government was prepared to hold a detailed discussion on the protests by students. He said the government had accepted the Opposition’s original demand for a discussion and maintained that he himself had made it clear that he was prepared to answer questions on the matter in the Parliament.