Parliament proceedings affected for fifth day over NEET row as opposition protests force repeated adjournments
New Delhi: Parliament proceedings remained affected for the fifth consecutive day on Friday as persistent protests by Opposition parties over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak disrupted proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, with the government reiterating its readiness for a discussion while the Opposition continued to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
In the Lok Sabha, protests by opposition members forced the House to be adjourned until 11 a.m. on Monday.
Amid the uproar, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju appealed to the Opposition to allow a debate on the issue without preconditions. He said the government was prepared for a discussion and argued that delaying it would send the wrong message to the country.
“I have requested K.C. Venugopal once again today. We are all of the opinion that there should be a discussion on NEET. The Prime Minister has assured the nation. Sonam Wangchuk has broken his hunger strike and demanded a discussion. If we do not hold a discussion, it will not send the right message to the country,” Rijiju said.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured strict action against those involved in examination paper leaks and informed the House that the Union Cabinet was scheduled to consider a proposal for tougher legislation.
“PM Modi has assured that a strict law would come on exam paper leaks. We have a Cabinet meeting at 1 p.m., where a decision will also be taken on the strict law,” he said.
Appealing directly to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Rijiju urged him to convince opposition MPs to participate in the debate instead of insisting on the Education Minister’s resignation.
“I appeal to Rahul Gandhi to explain that to your MPs. I do not understand why we cannot have a good discussion on this on the fifth day of Parliament. Don’t put forward a condition,” he said.
The Rajya Sabha also witnessed repeated disruptions over the same issue. After the House reassembled at noon following an earlier adjournment, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge again demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, triggering fresh protests. Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan adjourned the House till 2 p.m. amid the din.
The continuing deadlock comes a day after PM Modi announced that the government would introduce stronger measures to curb examination paper leaks. In a video shared on X on Thursday, the Prime Minister said the Union Cabinet would consider a draft Bill providing for fast-track courts and stringent punishment for those found guilty in paper leak cases.
“More strict actions against paper leaks to come in tomorrow’s Cabinet!” PM Modi said while sharing the video, in which he said he had directed departments to establish fast-track courts to ensure swift justice.
(DD News)
