“Congress MPs have gone astray”: Kiren Rijiju slams Opposition as 2 key bills passed amid ruckus
New Delhi, August 03
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday slammed the Opposition for disrupting Parliament as the Lok Sabha passed a bill to increase the number of Supreme Court judges and the Rajya Sabha cleared the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
He said Congress MPs had “gone astray” with no leader to guide them, and expressed sadness that key bills were passed amid ruckus without discussion.
Speaking to reporters, Rijiju said, “Today, two important bills have been passed. In the Lok Sabha, a bill to increase the number of Supreme Court judges, and in the Rajya Sabha, the MSME bill has been passed. There was no one from the Opposition who wanted to participate in this discussion.”
“I urged everyone and also told Mallikarjun Kharge to explain to the Congress MPs, but there is no one in their party who can make them understand. The Congress MPs have completely gone astray; there is no one to reason with them. Congress has no leader who can show the right path to its MPs… We want all MPs to speak on these important bills,” he added.
Rijiju expressed disappointment over the manner in which the bills were passed.
“The Opposition’s demand is a separate issue, but there must be a discussion on the bills. It is not good for important bills brought for the country to be passed without discussion. I am very sad that two bills have been passed in the House and the Opposition only created a ruckus,” he told reporters.
He further hoped that Congress MPs would return to parliamentary norms. “I hope that the Congress MPs will regain their sense and participate in the discussion. If there were any leader in Congress who could correct the misbehaviour of Congress MPs, we would be pleased, but I think there is no leader left in Congress,” Rijiju told reporters.
Earlier in the day, the Rajya Sabha passed the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026, by voice vote, even as the House witnessed sustained sloganeering and protests from Opposition members over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s continued absence from Parliament over the police action on student protesters in Delhi.
Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Jitan Ram Manjhi moved the Bill for passage in the Upper House. The Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on July 29.
“This bill clearly indicates that the objective is to address the existing challenges of the MSME sector, reform the administrative framework, ease business payments, and promote regulatory compliance,” said Jitan Ram Manjhi in the House.
The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026 seeks “to align the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 with the changing MSME landscape, to enhance the Ease of Doing Business and bring trust-based regulations in the MSME ecosystem.”
The Lok Sabha also passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, which seeks to increase the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from the present 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India. (ANI)