Parliament set to witness stormy debate from Monday

PTI, Jun 30, 2024, 11:48 AM IST

Parliament is set to witness heated debates on a range of issues like the NEET paper leak row, the Agnipath initiative and inflation when both houses reconvene on Monday. Besides the paper leak matter, the opposition is also likely to raise the issue of unemployment.

In the Lok Sabha, BJP member and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur is set to initiate the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address. The motion will be seconded by first-term Lok Sabha member Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of BJP stalwart late Sushma Swaraj.

The Lok Sabha has allocated 16 hours for the debate on the Motion of Thanks, which will conclude with the reply by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. In the Rajya Sabha, 21 hours have been set aside for the debate and the prime minister is likely to reply on Wednesday.

Parliament has been rocked by protests over the NEET issue.

NEET-UG was conducted by the NTA on May 5, with around 24 lakh candidates appearing. The results were announced on June 4, but they were followed by allegations of question paper leaks in states such as Bihar, besides other irregularities.

Initiating the debate in the Rajya Sabha, BJP member Sudhanshu Trivedi had described Modi as “atulniya” (matchless) and asserted that there was a vast difference in his approach towards dealing with issues facing the nation and the one adopted by the first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

BJP member Kavita Patidar seconded the motion and nine others have participated in the discussion so far.

Opposition INDIA bloc members forced adjournment in the Lok Sabha on Friday, when the House was to take up the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, demanding a dedicated discussion on the NEET issue.

The Rajya Sabha witnessed vociferous protests during the debate, with the opposition demanding a discussion on the NEET row and Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge trooping into the Well of the House to join fellow members.

Congress member Phulo Devi Netam from Chhattisgarh fainted in the Rajya Sabha while raising slogans, apparently due to high blood pressure, and was rushed to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

Opposition members slammed the government for not adjourning the proceedings of the House and showing a lack of concern for the health of a Rajya Sabha member.