New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Thursday amid unrelenting protests by opposition parties, who continued to press for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak issue.
The Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Singh adjourned the proceedings after repeated disruptions prevented any meaningful business from being conducted.
Nearly minutes before the adjournment, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju addressed the Chairman Harivansh Singh, accusing Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and other Opposition MPs of deliberately “disturbing and disrupting” the House to avoid a discussion on the NEET controversy.
Rijiju emphasised that the Union government had already expressed its readiness to formally take up the matter in Parliament.
The sharp political exchange occurred as Kharge began reading from a letter highlighting the “injustice” meted out to students across the country due to the paper leak.
Despite the Chairman’s repeated attempts to restore order and maintain decorum, the relentless sloganeering and protests left little room for the House proceedings.
The House was eventually adjourned for the day.
The Rajya Sabha is scheduled to convene again at 11 a.m. on Friday.
On July 22, the Opposition had submitted a notice under Rule 267 in the Upper House seeking a discussion on the issue.
Senior Congress leader and leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge had insisted that any debate on the NEET paper leak must be held under Rule 267, which allows for suspension of normal business to take up matters of urgent public importance.
The ongoing impasse reflects stemmed out from Opposition’s firm demand and stance that no discussion should take place until the Education Minister (Dharmendra Pradhan) takes moral responsibility and resigns.
The Union government, on the other hand, has accused the Opposition of creating excuses and politicising a sensitive issue affecting lakhs of students. This marks yet another day of complete washout in the Monsoon Session, with student protests outside Parliament and heated political battles inside the House.
The deadlock over the NEET controversy, coupled with demands for accountability regarding alleged police action against protesting students in New Delhi, has brought legislative work to a standstill.
With both the Treasury and Opposition benches showing no signs of yielding, further disruptions are expected when the House meets on Friday.
(IANS)
