Opposition forces disruptions in both Houses of Parliament over alleged NEET irregularities
Congress MPs allege that Rahul Gandhi’s microphone was switched off when he demanded a dedicated discussion on NEET; Congress MP faints and LoP enters well in Rajya Sabha protests, full Opposition walks out
The row over alleged irregularities in the conduct of the NEET examination for medical college admissions rocked both Houses of Parliament on Friday, with the Lok Sabha getting adjourned for the day after Speaker Om Birla disallowed adjournment motions on the issue.
Though the Rajya Sabha started the debate on the Motion of Thanks to President for her address to Parliament, there were dramatic moments as Congress MP Phulo Devi Netam fainted in the House while protesting with other Opposition MPs. They were demanding a discussion on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) under Rule 267.
In a rare instance, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge was seen walking into the well of the House. Expressing his anguish over this, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said this was first time in history that the LoP had come into the well of the House, a charge promptly refuted by Congress chief whip Jairam Ramesh.
‘Mic turned off’
In the Lok Sabha, LoP Rahul Gandhi also raised the issue of NEET, soon after Mr. Birla read out the obituaries of 13 former MPs. “We wanted to send a joint message to the students of India from the Opposition and the government side that we consider this important and to respect the students, we will have a dedicated discussion on NEET,” Mr. Gandhi said. The chair did not permit him to make a long speech, urging him to speak about NEET during the Motion of Thanks. Congress MPs then alleged that Mr. Gandhi’s microphone was turned off.
“I have told you before that I don’t have a button here to turn off the microphone,” Mr. Birla told the House.
‘Follow Parliamentary tradition’
Mr. Birla and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told Opposition members that they could raise the issue of NEET during the debate on the Motion of Thanks. As members from the Congress, Trinamool Congress and the DMK stormed into the well, Mr. Rijiju said that this was the first time the Opposition was seen demanding a discussion on an issue even before the House took up the Motion of Thanks.
“I assure the Opposition we will answer any issue that you raise during the Motion of Thanks discussion,” the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said.
With Opposition members unwilling to relent on their demand for a discussion on NEET, the House was adjourned until noon, only to see similar scences when it reassembled. Mr Birla said certain norms of Parliament have to be followed and committees have to be formed, to which Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi replied that students were not aware of it and were only demanding justice.
INDIA bloc MPs, including Congress members from Tamil Nadu, Manickam Tagore and Vijay Vasanth, had moved adjournment motions in the Lok Sabha over the recent leaks of question papers of the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams.
Speaking to reporters outside the House, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan urged the Opposition to follow parliamentary tradition, pointing to the mention of the paper leak in the President’s address as evidence of the government’s seriousness in tackling the issue.
Opposition walkout
The Rajya Sabha also witnessed high drama and sharp exchanges between the Opposition and Treasury benches, as the House had to be adjourned twice over the NEET protests.
The entire Opposition, including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) which is not part of the INDIA bloc, walked out in protest that the Rajya Sabha was not immediately adjourned despite Ms. Netam fainting in the well of the House.
LoP in the well
Rajya Sabha chairman Mr. Dhankhar said it was the “first time in history” that the LoP had entered the well of the House, terming it “ignoble, unruly conduct” and the “worst sacrilege that could be committed for this temple of democracy.”
Speaking to reporters outside the House, Mr. Kharge said, “It is the chairperson’s fault. I had been raising my hand for ten minutes, I followed all parliamentary procedures. Since he refused to look at me, to draw his attention I entered the well of the House. I did not stand there long , he was only looking at the ruling party members. He insulted me, according to rules he should have allowed me to speak if I raised my hand, he ignored me purposely. What option did I have? 70 papers have been leaked in 7 years, Modi government has betrayed crores of youth. We wanted to raise the voice of lakhs of youth affected by the NEET scam by discussing it in the House under Rule 267.”
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Congress leader Jairam Ramesh disputed Mr. Dhankhar’s statement, noting that then-LoP Ghulam Nabi Azad had also entered the well of the House in protest against the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
‘Pre-determined disruptions’
The Opposition had resorted to sloganeering even as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Sudhanshu Trivedi initiated the debate on the Motion of Thanks.
Leader of the House J.P. Nadda intervened and said that efforts were being made by the Opposition to hold the House “hostage” and disrupt the proceedings, claiming that the Congress had not raised the NEET issue during the Business Advisory Council’s meeting. ”This shows their intention is just to disrupt the proceedings. This was pre-determined and pre-decided,” Mr. Nadda said, adding that the Congress had not yet named a speaker for the discussion on the Motion of Thanks.
He also asserted that the government was committed to reply on the NEET issue. While Mr. Nadda was speaking, several Opposition members came in front of his seat and raised slogans.
Voicing student concerns
Senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Deve Gowda acknowledged that lakhs of students had been affected by the alleged NEET irregularities, but appealed to the Opposition to let the House function smoothly and said the government could not fix responsibility until the probe in the matter was completed. “I do not want to take sides. The government has taken the right decision [to order a CBI probe],” the former Prime Minister said.
“The BJD MPs strongly protested against the BJP-led government of India in the Parliament and went to the well of the House twice, voicing the concerns of the students and parents of Odisha who are adversely affected due to NEET irregularities and corruption,” Biju Janata Dal MP Sasmit Patra said.
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