NEET row: Govt ready for debate, urges Opposition not to stall session

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju appealed to the Opposition not to disrupt the Monsoon Session, stating the government is ready for a debate on the NEET paper leak. Opposition leaders, however, demand the Education Minister's resignation.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday appealed to the Opposition not to disrupt the Monsoon Session of Parliament, asserting that the Centre is prepared to hold a detailed discussion on the issue of NEET and other examination paper leaks, while Opposition leaders continued to target the government over the matter.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Rijiju said the government was open to a debate and urged Opposition parties to participate in the discussion instead of stalling parliamentary proceedings. "If you want debate and discussion then you will play a positive role. If you are avoiding a parliamentary debate then you start putting conditions after conditions," Rijiju said. He said Opposition members could raise all their demands, suggestions and clarifications during the debate, adding that Parliament should not be disrupted. "We are with open heart asking and appealing the opposition party, don't stall the Parliament. There are important bills and very important business in this Monsoon Session. We are ready to keep it aside and first of all initiate the discussion on the NEET exam paper leak and all the examinations which happen in the country. There are cases of paper leaks in different states. So it's a concern for everybody. It is not a concern for one party or one state because paper leaks have happened in so many places," he said.

Opposition Hits Back, Demands Resignation

Reacting to the government's remarks, Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla accused the Centre of failing to address the concerns of students and demanded the resignation of the Union Education Minister. "Such is the situation that neither farmers are happy nor the youth. The government has woken up now after there were so many paper leaks. LoP Rahul Gandhi is the shadow PM, but you don't let him speak. If you had listened to what he had said, this situation would not have arisen today. Education Minister must be asked to resign, and the government should apologise to the students," Aujla said.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar described the issue as one concerning the future of the country's youth and called for timely intervention by the Centre. "Today, the country is on a crossroads. The future of the students and youngsters of this country is in a big dilemma. We never expected that already more than hundreds of papers have been leaked. We should be cautious. The Prime Minister has spoken today, but he should have spoken in the very beginning itself. This is not an issue of any political party, this is the issue of the future of this country," Shivakumar said.

'Opposition Fleeing from Discussion': Rijiju

Earlier, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Opposition of fleeing from a discussion on the NEET paper leak issue, stating that INDIA bloc leaders began imposing conditions despite initially agreeing to a debate in Parliament.

Speaking to reporters, Rijiju pointed out that he had reached out to Opposition members across party lines to facilitate a structured debate. However, he claimed that as time progressed, the Opposition began offering "excuses" to stall proceedings. "Today, we hoped to initiate a debate on the NEET exam paper leak. Yesterday, we held talks with several leaders from opposition parties, as well as leaders across party lines, and everyone agreed on finding a way forward. However, as time progressed, they began imposing conditions again and making various excuses. Still, by evening, we were hopeful of finding a resolution through discussions with the Congress and other Opposition colleagues, especially since the Prime Minister made it abundantly clear today that complete measures are being taken to safeguard the lives and security of students and youth, and that no laxity or compromise will be tolerated," Rijiju said.

Tensions Flare as NDA, INDIA MPs Face Off

The statements follow high drama inside the Parliament premises earlier in the day, where a direct face-off broke out between NDA and INDIA bloc MPs at Makar Dwar. While Opposition members protested against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak controversy, NDA parliamentarians demonstrated against the Opposition's stance, accusing them of blocking debate and spreading misinformation.

Tensions flared when CPI(M) MP John Brittas was seen pulling a poster from the hands of BJP leader Arun Singh. With MPs from both camps standing face-to-face, Parliament security personnel formed a human chain to keep the two groups apart.

Slogans were also exchanged between Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and BJP leaders during the confrontation. Speaking on the clash, BJP MP Sambit Patra accused the Congress of evading debate, citing ongoing dialogues between senior BJP leaders, student groups, and activist Sonam Wangchuk over the past three days. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)