Amid opposition objections, LS adopts two bills, Kerala renamed as Keralam

In the midst of ongoing demonstrations by opposition members who carried placards and shouted slogans in the Well of the House, the Lok Sabha passed two additional bills without debate on Tuesday. Among the bills were the National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, which aims to rename Kerala as Keralam.

The Opposition’s demands for Home Minister Amit Shah to appear in the House due to student protests and police action, as well as for a discussion on the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, caused the Monsoon Session to stay stalled. There is still ambiguity regarding pending legislation, such as the Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Amendment Bill and the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill, as the session is scheduled to conclude on Thursday.

The commotion persisted as the House reconvened at 2:00 pm, with opposition members shouting slogans over the purported theft of donations at the Ayodhya Ram temple. Amid the commotion, Krishna Prasad Tenneti, the presiding officer, let papers to be placed on the table.

After then, the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 was discussed and eventually passed. Nityanand Rai, the Minister of State for Home, introduced the bill, which was approved by voice vote amid sloganeering without discussion. Rai made fun of the Congress while introducing the bill, stating, “It seems the Congress MPs are not in favour of the renaming.”

The National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was introduced shortly after by Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol, and it was similarly approved without discussion as the commotion persisted. Only two of the eleven bills that the Lok Sabha has approved thus far have been discussed. Despite opposition objections, the remaining legislation was passed without debate.

The House was adjourned in a matter of minutes after Speaker Om Birla voiced distress at the many interruptions when the session started at 11 a.m. earlier in the day. He urged the opposition and the government to come to an agreement so that important bills that bring about “far-reaching changes in the country” might be discussed in the House.

For almost three weeks, the opposition has been demonstrating against police action and student rallies, calling for Shah to be present in the House.

The Congress insisted that the Home Minister’s statement directly address who ordered the firing of pellets against student protesters on July 20, hence the government’s offer of a debate on Monday and Shah’s response failed to break the impasse. Additionally, the Congress stated that it was “non negotiable” to have a conversation about the purported financial heist at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.