Parliament’s Monsoon Session remained disrupted for a third consecutive day as opposition parties continued protests over the alleged NEET question paper leak, despite the Union government saying it is ready for a discussion.
Opposition MPs from the INDIA bloc, including the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and pressed for an adjournment motion. Congress MP K C Venugopal said the opposition would cooperate with proceedings only if the government accepted their notice and held a discussion.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government has been stating for three days that it is prepared to debate the issue, but insisted it should be done as per House rules. He said the Speaker, after consulting party leaders, should decide the rule and duration for the discussion, adding that the government wants a meaningful debate in the interest of students.
In the Lok Sabha, the government proposed a short-duration discussion under Rule 193, which does not involve a formal resolution or voting, while the opposition sought an adjournment motion that would require the minister to respond and could include a vote. The Rajya Sabha also saw repeated adjournments after Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of police action against protesters, triggering protests from treasury benches and counter-slogans from the opposition.
Separately, BJP president J P Nadda urged parties not to politicise student protests and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is firm on taking appropriate action in the NEET matter. He also alleged that paper leaks had occurred earlier in states ruled by the DMK and the Trinamool Congress.
