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Lok Sabha Adjourned Till Monday As Opposition Ruckus Over NEET Irregularities

  • By Thetripurapost Desk, New Delhi
  • Jun 28, 2024
  • 255

Lok Sabha on Friday was adjourned for the day after opposition members created a ruckus demanding a discussion on alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET. Later both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, adjourned till Monday following the Opposition-sponsored protest demanding a debate on NEET.

Leader of Opposition in the House Rahul Gandhi said that before discussing the motion of thanks on the President's address, the issue of NEET should be discussed in the House, but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that after the President's address, the motion of thanks brought on it is discussed first and there has been no tradition of discussing any separate topic.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that it has already been decided that no notice of adjournment motion will be taken during the discussion on the motion of thanks on the President's address. 

He appealed to the opposition members to let the House function and said that they can raise NEET and all other issues during the discussion on the address. When the proceedings of the House resumed at 12 noon after a one-time adjournment, Trinamool Congress MP Nurul Islam took the oath of membership.

Due to ill health, he could not take oath earlier. After this, the opposition members started creating ruckus demanding discussion on the issue of alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Graduate (NEET-UG). 

Birla said the opposition members, "You can talk on this topic during the discussion on the motion of thanks on the President's address, the government will answer."

He said, "Don't you want to discuss the President's address? It is the responsibility of all of us to run the House... Not allowing the House to run in a planned manner is not appropriate for parliamentary democracy. The public has not sent you to the House to raise slogans... I had said earlier also that there should be a difference between opposition in the House and opposition on the road."

Rijiju said, "Till date, in the history of Parliament, there has been no tradition of discussing any issue other than the motion of thanks brought on the President's address. For the first time, members of Congress and its allies are demanding discussion on other topics and have come near the chair, we condemn this."

 He said, "The government will respond to any issue that comes up during the discussion, but the House should be allowed to function." When the uproar did not stop, the Lok Sabha speaker adjourned the House at around 12:07 PM till 11 AM on July 1.

Earlier, when the proceedings of the House began at 11 am, Lok Sabha Speaker Birla informed about the death of 13 former members and the House paid tribute to the deceased members by observing silence for a few moments.

After this, members of other opposition parties including Congress started demanding a discussion on the issue of NEET in the House. Birla asked the members to raise all their issues in detail during the discussion on the motion of thanks on the President's address.

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi said during this time, "We wanted to give a joint message to the students of India on behalf of the government and the opposition that we consider their issue important and that is why we wanted to have a special discussion on the issue of NEET to show respect to the students."

The Lok Sabha Speaker did not allow this and the opposition members continued to create ruckus. During this time, DMK member Kanimozhi was standing with Rahul Gandhi in the front row on the opposition side. Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchand Pawar) member Supriya Sule, DMK MP A. Raja, RSP's NK Premachandran and Congress's KC Venugopal, Gaurav Gogoi and Deepender Hooda were also standing in the back row.

Birla said the agitating opposition members that they can discuss all issues during the discussion on the motion of thanks and the government is expected to respond to all the issues raised by the opposition. 

He said, "You discuss in detail. You have enough time. I will give you full time. You present your views in detail, on all issues... I have no objection." Seeing that the uproar not to stop, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon.