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.

Seoul, Aug 12: North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, marking the second such launch in less than a week in an apparent protest against an upcoming combined military exercise between the South and the United States.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the missile launched from the Wonsan area on the east coast at around 6 a.m.

The missile flew more than 700 kilometres, with a detailed analysis of its specifications under way by South Korean and US authorities, according to the JCS.

While the military has yet to specify the type or range of the missile, the range it provided suggests the launch likely involved a short-range missile, which typically flies 300 to 1,000 km, reports Yonhap news agency.

North Korea has the KN-23 short-range ballistic missiles, known as the North Korean version of Russia’s Iskander, which has a maximum range of 700- 800 km.

The latest launch came six days after the North fired what the South’s military has identified as a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Thursday.

The recent missile launches came as South Korea and the US are set to begin their key annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise next week.

Pyongyang has strongly denounced the allies’ drills as war rehearsals and conducted its own weapons tests around the training period in a show of protest.

Unlike how the North has usually revealed its missile launches through state media the following day or so, it has not published any reports on last week’s launch.

This has raised the possibility that the launch may not have succeeded or involved the test-firing of a new type of missile, or that it could have been a longer-range missile fired at a reduced range.

“It could be a repeat of last week’s launch following its suspected failure and is believed to be a test-firing aimed at improving its missile capabilities,” said Yang Moo-jin, a senior professor at the University of North Korean Studies.

“Given the intensifying war in Ukraine, it could also be a test to upgrade the Hwasong-11 missiles, which are designed to carry tactical nuclear warheads,” Yang said.

South Korean and US intelligence authorities tracked the launch from its early stage and shared information with Japan as well, maintaining a full readiness posture through cooperation between the two countries, the JCS said.

“Under the staunch South Korea-US combined defence posture, our military is closely monitoring various North Korean activities and maintaining the capability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation,” it said.

South Korea’s National Security Office (NSO) expressed concerns over continued missile launches since last week, urging Pyongyang to stop such provocations that are in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

The NSO convened an emergency meeting with defence and military officials shortly after Wednesday’s launch to assess the launch and its impact on security, and directed necessary measures, officials said.

The latest missile launch was also observed from an eastern coastal area in South Korea’s Goseong county in Gangwon Province, located about 130 km in a direct distance from Wonsan.

The US Pacific Command said in a media statement that it assesses the North’s recent missile launch as not posing an immediate threat to its territory and allies.

The latest launch marked the 11th such launch by North Korea this year to date.

New Delhi, Aug 12: Samajwadi Party chief and MP, Akhilesh Yadav, on Wednesday alleged that the proposed amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) were aimed at targeting minorities and accused the NDA government of introducing the legislation to serve its own interests.

Speaking to reporters, Yadav questioned the need for the amendment to the Bill and criticised the government’s performance on infrastructure projects.

“Why do they want to bring the FCRA amendments? Is it only to suppress minorities? Is it only to serve their own interests? You are building airports, yet they get flooded with water. You are constructing expressways, yet there are potholes. What are you doing?” he said.

Drawing a comparison between governance and the recent aviation controversy, Yadav added, “Hume plane chalane walon aur pradesh chalane walon mein samanta dikhai de rahi hai.”

Samajwadi Party MP, Awadhesh Prasad, also raised concerns over the proposed legislation, saying that laws should not be enacted without clear intent and practical implementation.

“If the government’s intention is not right, then there is no point in passing such a Bill. There are many laws that have been passed but are not being implemented properly and remain ineffective in practice,” he said.

Another Samajwadi Party leader, MP Ram Gopal Yadav, argued that there was no need for the proposed amendments. He said voluntary organisations, religious organisations especially missionaries and NGOs have played a significant role in providing education, health and welfare services in several parts of the country, including tribal regions.

“There was no need to bring this Bill in the first place. In states such as Jharkhand, in the Dang region of Gujarat and in other tribal areas, the work done by missionaries, voluntary organisations and NGOs has often been greater than what governments have achieved. Restricting them would deprive millions of poor children of education and other essential services,” he said.

CPI MP, P. Santhosh Kumar, said the Opposition had demanded that the Bill be referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).

“There is no necessity for these amendments. However, referring the Bill to a JPC was one of the major demands raised by Opposition parties. Since the BJP will have a majority in the committee, we do not expect any positive outcome,” he said.

RSP MP, N.K. Premachandran, reiterated his party’s demand for the withdrawal of the Bill.

“Our consistent stand has been that the FCRA Bill should be withdrawn. The government is now proposing to send it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee, but the purpose of the Bill appears to be to exercise greater control over charitable organisations, NGOs and institutions run by minority communities,” he said.