The 18th Lok Sabha commenced its session on June 24, with the election of a Speaker and President Droupadi Murmu’s address to a joint sitting of both Houses being the first items on the agenda. Post this, proceedings on June 28 were expected to commence with a Motion of Thanks for the President’s speech.
The day’s business however, was overshadowed by a demand for a discussion on the irregularities in the NEET entrance exam followed by an Opposition walkout and the fainting of an MP in the Rajya Sabha, and an early adjournment for the Lok Sabha.
Lok Sabha
After the Lok Sabha convened at 11 a.m., Speaker Om Birla read out obituary references for the Members who passed away recently, after which the House observed a minute’s silence. Following this, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of NEET entrance exam in the House and sought a discussion on the matter of irregularities in the examination process.
However, the Speaker said that the Adjournment motion or any other business was not to be taken up before the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President for her address. Opposition MPs were unrelenting and pressed for the discussion on NEET. Amid an uproar, Mr. Birla adjourned the House till 12 p.m.
After it reconvened at 12 p.m., Opposition Members once again demanded a discussion on the issue of NEET. The Speaker and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told Opposition Members that they could discuss the matter during the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address.
Mr. Birla said certain norms of Parliament had to be followed and committees had to be formed. To this Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said students were not aware of the steps to be taken, they were only demanding justice. As protests in the House escalated, and members from the Congress, TMC and DMK parties stormed the well of the House, the Speaker adjourned proceedings for the day.
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha proceedings began with the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi moved the motion and addressed the House. From defence exports rising by 18%, to infrastructure development in the country, Mr. Trivedi praised the government’s achievements over the past five years.
During his speech, Opposition members stormed into the well of the Rajya Sabha and demanded a discussion on the NEET issue. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar appealed to the members and requested the leader of opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge to maintain decorum, as members resorted to sloganeering. Mr. Dhankar called out MPs Sagarika Ghose, Derek O’Brien, and Saket Gokhale over the ruckus in the house.
Meanwhile. JD(S) MP and former PM Deve Gowda backed the government over the NEET issue, saying that the government could not fix responsibility as the matter is currently under CBI investigation.
J.P. Nadda, Leader of the House and Union Health Minister, made his maiden speech during this session, and also expressed his disappointment for not being able to address the House under better circumstances.
As speeches by BJP MPs continued, Opposition did not stop sloganeering. Congress MP Phulo Devi Netam fainted in the well during a protest demanding the adjournment of the house, which the chair denied. Opposition MPs then staged a walkout in protest.
Post this, the MPs still present in the House spoke on the subject of the Motion of Thanks to the President. Some MPs touched upon the Emergency era, terming it an attack on the Constitution; a resolution condemning the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975 had been passed in the House yesterday.
The House was adjourned close to 6 p.m. Both Houses will resume proceedings on Monday, July 1, at 11 a.m.
Published - June 28, 2024 09:40 pm IST
