(The Hindu) The row over irregularities in the conduct of the NEET examination rocked both Houses of Parliament on Day 2 (28th June), with the Lok Sabha being 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 the 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 exam under Rule 267.
In a rare instance, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha (LORS) and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge was seen walking into the well of the House. Expressing his anguish over this, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said this was the first time in history that the LORS had come into the well of the House, a charge promptly refuted by Congress chief whip Jairam Ramesh.
In the lower house, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha (LORS), 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,” he 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 the “worst sacrilegethat could be committed for this temple of democracy.”