Lok Sabha Clears Kerala Renaming, NCDC Bills Amid Protests

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 and the National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 without debate amid Opposition protests seeking the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The House reconvened at 2 pm amid protests in the Well. They also raised the issue of alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Presiding officer Krishna Prasad Tenneti allowed papers to be laid before taking up the Bill.

The Kerala Bill, moved by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, seeks to change the state's name to Keralam. It was passed by voice vote without debate.

“It seems the Congress MPs are not in favour of the renaming,” Rai said while moving the legislation. The Congress governs the state.

Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol moved the National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, which was also passed without discussion.

The two Bills take the number of legislation cleared so far to 11. Only two have been debated, while nine have been passed without discussion amid Opposition protests.

Earlier, when the House met at 11 am, Speaker Om Birla expressed anguish over repeated disruptions. Proceedings were adjourned within minutes.

Birla appealed to the government and Opposition to find common ground so the House could debate Bills that bring “far-reaching changes in the country”.

The Opposition has been protesting for more than three weeks over student protests and police action, seeking Shah's presence in the House. The government's offer on Monday for a debate and Shah's reply failed to resolve the stalemate.

The Congress has insisted that Shah's response should address who ordered the firing of pellets against student protesters on July 20. It has called a discussion on the alleged theft of funds at the Ram temple in Ayodhya “non-negotiable”.

With the Monsoon Session scheduled to conclude on Thursday, attention turns to business, including the women's reservation amendment Bill and the Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Amendment Bill.