Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje meets Amit Shah at his residence

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “Then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji used to feel that there should be some action taken, some resignations made, but today’s government is totally thick-skinned”.

BJP president Amit Shah held strategy meetings with various party colleagues, including union ministers Arun Jaitley, Swaraj, Smriti Irani, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Piyush Goyal as well as party spokespersons during which Raje was also present.

Mishra later blamed the opposition for not letting the house run, saying: “The government was ready for a discussion on every issue but it was Congress which kept running away from it”.

Bracing for the opposition onslaught in Parliament, government and the ruling BJP decided to aggressively counter the attack on its leaders like Swaraj, Raje and Chouhan and rake up controversies that involved some Congress leaders.

The government has finalised 35 items of business for the monsoon session, which included nine bills pending in Rajya Sabha and four pending in Lok Sabha, besides introduction of 11 new bill. “We will seek their answers on these”, he said. “NDA doesn’t care about what people think, want”.

The protesters were demanding the resignations of Sushma Swaraj and Raje in connection with the controversy surrounding former IPL chairman Lalit Modi – facing an Enforcement Directorate probe – and Chouhan for the Vyapam scam.

They also raised slogans against the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, Lalit Modi, corruption, women safety and inflation. The party has so far backed Ms Raje, who had supported tainted cricket tycoon Lalit Modi’s immigration appeal to the UK.

Besides pressing for removal of Swaraj, opposition has indicated that it will also target HRD Minister Smriti Irani, who is facing charges related to an educational certificate.