Parliament paralysed second day: NEET leak, student protests stall Monsoon Session
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Both Houses of Parliament were disrupted for the second consecutive day of the Monsoon Session on 21 July as Opposition members mounted sustained protests over the alleged NEET paper leak, police action against students in New Delhi, and the alleged misappropriation of donations meant for the Ram Temple. Multiple adjournments in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha left legislative business completely stalled.
Lok Sabha: Disruptions from the Opening Bell
Opposition members broke into slogans the moment the Lok Sabha assembled for Question Hour, demanding an immediate debate on alleged examination irregularities and the police crackdown on students. Speaker Om Birla assured members they would be given time to raise concerns within parliamentary rules, but protests persisted. The Speaker was forced to adjourn the House twice before finally calling it off for the day at 2 pm. Despite the turmoil, ministers managed to table official parliamentary documents during brief windows.
Rajya Sabha: Adjourned Within Minutes
The Rajya Sabha witnessed near-identical scenes. Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge attempted to raise the issue of police action against protesting students within minutes of the House convening, triggering counter-slogans from the treasury benches. Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan adjourned the House shortly after. Subsequent sittings at noon and post-lunch also collapsed under persistent protests, prompting Deputy Chairman Harivansh to adjourn the House for the rest of the day.
Rahul Gandhi Leads Opposition Delegation to Speaker
Before proceedings began, a cross-House delegation of Opposition MPs — led by Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi — met Speaker Om Birla to press for a structured discussion on alleged police brutality against students. After the meeting, Gandhi stated that Parliament must address issues affecting the country's youth and accused the government of failing to ensure accountability over the examination crisis. He also claimed the Speaker had indicated that government permission was required before any such discussion could be scheduled.
INDIA Bloc Huddle Sets the Day's Strategy
Before the day's proceedings, senior leaders of the INDIA bloc convened in the chamber of Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to align on strategy. The meeting was attended by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, K. C. Venugopal, Supriya Sule, Sanjay Raut, Dharmendra Yadav, Mahua Maji, John Brittas, and P. Santhosh Kumar.
What Analysts Say
According to analysts, the back-to-back washouts on Monday and Tuesday underscore the depth of the political confrontation between the Opposition and the government during this session. With three core grievances — the NEET controversy, student protests, and the Ram Temple donations issue — driving the disruption, a near-term resolution appears unlikely unless the government agrees to a floor discussion on at least one of the Opposition's demands.