Rajya Sabha was adjourned until 2 p.m. on Friday amid an uproar from the opposition over alleged irregularities in the conduct of NEET, with Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar expressing concern about Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge entering the House Well. “The Opposition Leader has entered the House Well. This has never happened before,” Dhankhar said, adjourning the proceedings until 2 p.m. RS chairman Dhankhar’s remarks came at a time when opposition members were creating ruckus during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s speech. The opposition has demanded a debate on the issue.
What Led To Adjournment Of Rajya Sabha Proceedings Twice?
This was the day’s second adjournment. Previously, the House was adjourned until 12 noon. During the debate on the Motion of Thanks for the President’s Address, opposition members raised slogans as BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi spoke.
The House Leader intervened, stating that the opposition was attempting to hold the House “hostage” and disrupt proceedings. He stated that the Congress did not raise the issue of NEET during the meeting of the Business Advisory Council, but rather in the House.
“This demonstrates that their intention is simply to disrupt the proceedings. “This was predetermined and pre-decided,” he said, adding that the Congress has not named a speaker for the Motion of Thanks discussion.
Nadda said that the government is committed and will respond to the NEET issue. While Nadda was speaking, several opposition members approached his seat and raised slogans.
President Droupadi Murmu addressed a joint session of Parliament. Following the President’s address, a motion of thanks was introduced in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha today, which the MPs were debating. During this discussion, the opposition in both houses erupted in outrage over the NEET controversy.
What Did Rajya Sabha Chairman Dhankar Said To LoP?
The situation became even more tense when opposition members stormed the upper house well. Dhankar expressed shock, saying, “Honourable Members, today has become so tainted in the history of the Indian Parliament that the Leader of the Opposition has come to the well.” This has never occurred before. I am both pained and shocked. The Indian parliamentary tradition will deteriorate to the point where the Leader of the Opposition and the Deputy Leader will both visit the well.
#WATCH | Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar says, “Today is such a tainted day in the history of the Indian Parliament that the Leader of the Opposition himself has come to the Well. This has never happened before. I am pained, shocked. The Indian… pic.twitter.com/S1KUdKvO4z
— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2024
Kharge Says ‘It Was Rajya Sabha Chairman’s Mistake’
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge took potshots at Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar, saying, “On entering the Well of Rajya Sabha, Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge stated, “It was his (Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s) mistake…I went inside to attract his attention. Even so, he wasn’t looking… I drew attention. He was only focused on the ruling party. When I drew his attention according to the rules, he should have looked at me, but instead he deliberately ignored me to insult me. So, what was left for me? To attract attention, I would have to either go inside or shout very loudly.”
“So I’ll say that Chairman Sahab made a mistake. I believe he should not do this and should uphold the dignity of the Rajya Sabha…There have been large-scale scams, the NEET exam paper has been leaked, and lakhs of children are concerned. To draw attention to the people’s problem, we requested a specific discussion. We didn’t want to disturb anyone; all we wanted to do was raise the students’ concerns…But he didn’t give it a chance or even pay attention to it, which is why we had to do this,” he said.
