Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has called a meeting of Congress MPs from both Houses at his residence on Thursday evening, party sources said.
The meeting comes amid a deadlock in Parliament over the NEET-UG paper leak row, where the Opposition has presented Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and Rule 267 of the Rajya Sabha as conditions for a discussion. The Centre has maintained that it is ready to discuss the NEET row and the related matters, asking the Opposition not to put any condition.
Rule 267 allows an MP to seek suspension of business in the Upper House of Parliament.
The Rajya Sabha witnessed a stormy start on Thursday following heavy sloganeering and protests by Opposition members.
The House saw a sharp exchange of words between the government and the Opposition benches, with both sides refusing to back down from their respective stands on the paper leak controversy.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that the government is fully prepared to discuss the NEET issue and the Opposition was deliberately stalling the process by imposing pre-conditions.
“All parties have demanded that NEET be discussed. Today, the entire NDA party has again demanded that NEET be discussed. I felt that yesterday, after meeting with Kharge ji and some other opposition leaders, we had a little hope that a discussion could take place today. The Congress party imposed a condition. We requested that we decide among ourselves how and for how long the discussion would proceed, but don’t impose conditions. Your intention to impose conditions is not correct because you want to stop the discussion. We are again requesting that the NEET exam be discussed thoroughly in both Houses, without any politicisation,” he said.
Rijiju also lauded Prime Minister Modi’s announcement for fast-track courts for paper leaks, to which Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, rebuked. He termed the Prime Minister’s remarks as “instigative” and accused the government of failing to take accountability for the paper leak.
“Today, the Prime Minister has made a statement. This is an instigative statement. The education minister should resign; only then will we be ready to have a discussion,” Kharge said.
Amid intensifying protests against the Centre over the NEET paper leak, PM Modi announced that fast-track courts will be set up to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks. In a post on X, PM Modi stated that those involved in compromising the future of the youth “will not be spared,” adding that relevant authorities have been directed to take all necessary measures.
A direct face-off broke out between NDA and INDIA bloc MPs inside the Parliament premises on Thursday, as both sides staged simultaneous demonstrations over separate issues at Makar Dwar.
Both Houses have been adjourned for the day.