Parliament Session 2024 Live Updates: A heated exchange unfolded on Friday between Rajya Sabha Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge over Kharge’s entry into the House well. Kharge informed ANI that he did so to get Dhankar’s attention, a claim Dhankar dismissed as “untrue.” Meanwhile, Kharge alleged that the microphones of both Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, the other LoP, were switched off during today’s Parliament session. Earlier, Dhankar expressed his dismay: ” Today’s day in the history of Indian Parliament will be remembered as stained when LOP himself in Well of the House. This has never happened. I am hurt, and surprised that Parliamentary tradition will fall so much that LOP will come to the Well, and deputy Leader will be in the Well.”
Meanhwile,The Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till Monday, July 1, following opposition demands for a discussion on alleged irregularities in the NEET medical entrance exam. When the House reconvened at noon on Friday, opposition members continued pressing for a debate on issues related to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). Speaker Om Birla and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju assured the opposition that the matter could be discussed during the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address. Birla emphasised the importance of following parliamentary norms and the need to form committees, to which Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi responded that students are unaware of these procedures and are simply seeking justice.
Parliament Session 2024 Live Updates:Opposition raises NEET-UG exam issue in Parliament.Follow real-time updates from the 18th Lok Sabha session here!
The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till Monday, July 1, 11 am.
Rajya Sabha MP and Shinde Sena leader Milind Deora, while speaking during the discussion on the President’s address in the Upper House, stated that cities like Mumbai have been completely free of terror attacks in the last decade. Highlighting previous terror incidents such as the 2006 train blast and the 26/11 tragedy, he noted that such attacks have been successfully prevented. “The national security of our country is paramount… I congratulate this government for ensuring that not just in Mumbai but across the rest of the country,” Deora said.
While discussing the Kallakurichi hooch deaths, Tamil Manila Congress MP G. K. Vasan described the incident as a “manmade disaster” that could have been prevented if the Tamil Nadu government had taken timely action against the “liquor mafia.” He also noted that the village affected by the tragedy was predominantly populated by people from the Scheduled Caste, with most of the victims belonging to the same community. “I request a fair probe to ensure that the perpetrator faces the full brunt of the law,” Vasan added.
Haryana BJP MP Ram Chander Jangra, during the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address on Friday, remarked that it was “unfortunate” that those who had attempted to undermine the Constitution were now talking about protecting it. He also accused the Opposition of spreading false rumours before the elections, such as claims that elections would be halted and that reservations would be removed if Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured a third term in office.
Taking to his official handle on X, Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader, asserted that the INDIA bloc of the opposition aimed to engage in constructive debate on NEET exams and the issue of paper leaks.
“It is unfortunate that we weren’t allowed to do so in Parliament today. This is a serious concern that is causing anxiety to lakhs of families across India,” Rahul said. He additionally called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to engage in a debate on the issue and to “ensure that students receive the respect they deserve.”
VIDEO | Here's what Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) said after visiting party MP Phulo Devi Netam, who fainted in the Parliament earlier today, in Delhi's RML Hospital.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 28, 2024
"The doctor said that a complete investigation is important. They are taking her for CT Scan.… pic.twitter.com/uL9cvGxMqc
BJP MP Bhim Singh took the floor in the Rajya Sabha during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, criticising the opposition for earlier disruptions and slogan-shouting.
“They keep shouting justice, justice…But it was their government that made a joke out of democracy and justice,” Mr. Singh said, citing the Emergency imposed by the
Congress government in 1975.
Amid ongoing disruptions in Parliament, DMK MP Kanimozhi voiced the party’s stance on the NEET issue.
“All party leaders from the INDIA alliance have given an adjournment motion in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to discuss NEET which has become a burning issue. DMK’s stand has always been that NEET has to be banned because it is not an eligibility test, it is an eliminating test,” she said.
“Amidst all the chaos in the Rajya Sabha today because of the adamant refusal of the Govt to agree to an IMMEDIATE discussion on NEET, NET, and other paper leak scandals, Congress MP Phulo Devi Netam, who is recovering from dengue, suddenly collapsed and had to be rushed to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. We hope she recovers quickly. All INDIA MPs have gone to meet her,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote in a post on X.
This came after the MP was taken to RML hospital.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar expressed disappintment with Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge entering the Well of the House. Kharge, in response, told ANI that he was attempting to get the Chair’s attention and blamed the Chair for the confusion. In reaction to Kharge’s statement, Dhankar said the LoP has spoken “untruth”.
Jagdeep Dhankar slammed the Opposition for causing disruptions in the Rajya Sabha proceedings as BJP MP Kavita Patidar resumed discussing the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address.
“It is most unfortunate,”Dhankar remarked on Opposition MPs earlier storming the well of the House to demand a discussion on the NEET-UG issue. He further appealed to all MPs to ensure peaceful conduct during the House proceedings.
The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned until 2.30 pm as the opposition persisted in calling for a debate on the NEET row, despite the ongoing discussion on the Motion of Thanks.
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi resumed dicussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address as the House reconvened at 2 pm. He asserted that the Opposition persists in having a ‘slave mindset’.
Congress party has claimed that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla turned off the microphone of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi while he was addressing the NEET row in Parliament.
In Rajya Sabha, opposition MPs persisted in raising slogans concerning the NEET issue throughout the proceedings. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar admonished TMC MP Sagarika Ghose and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi for their involvement in the sloganeering.
Following this, the Chairman adjourned the House till 2 pm.
Health Minister J.P. Nadda spoke in the Rajya Sabha for the first time since being elected as an MP.
Expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to address the House, Mr. Nadda voiced his disappointment that he couldn’t do so under better circumstances, as Opposition MPs continued their sloganeering.
Continuing the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi attacked the Opposition for their reactions to the arrests of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
“Two of their leaders were arrested and they think democracy is in danger,” Trivedi said.
He further noted that this was not an unprecedented occurrence and listed several opposition leaders who were arrested before 2014, during the Congress‘s tenure in power.
During the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi’s speech was interrupted as Opposition members stood up to raise the NEET issue. INC MP Mallikarjun Kharge then called on Deputy Chairman Harivansh to allow a discussion on the matter. “It’s undemocratic,” Mr. Kharge remarked, criticizing the restriction on the Opposition’s opportunity to speak in the House.
During the 264th session of the Rajya Sabha, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, while discussing the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, praised the BJP-led government for its achievements. He highlighted the 18% rise in defense exports, the construction of the world’s highest bridge, Chenab, in Kashmir, and the profits made by Public Sector Banks.
JD(S) MP and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda raised the NEET issue during the 264th session of the Rajya Sabha. Addressing the Opposition members’ sloganeering, Gowda said they cannot ask the concerned minister to take responsibility while the investigation is pending.
Gowda was responding to the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on the NEET issue and for the government to take responsibility.
“You can’t ask the concerned minister to take responsibility,” former PM HD Deve Gowda said in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. Addressing the NEET issue, Deve Gowda said that since a CBI inquiry is pending and arrests are being made, if a Minister, who has been newly elected takes responsibility, it paints the government in a bad picture.
Amid protests from Opposition members, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the Lok Sabha until Monday, July 1. Opposition members demanded the acceptance of an adjournment motion to suspend all business and discuss issues related to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
However, Speaker Om Birla declined, stating the House was scheduled to discuss the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address to the joint session of Parliament on Thursday. With the Opposition persisting, the uproar continued, leading the Speaker to adjourn the House until Monday.
Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Friday moved a motion to elect a committee on the welfare of other backward classes.
Proceedings began in Lok Sabha to discuss the Motion of Thanks.
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, was held by the NTA on May 5, with around 24 lakh candidates participating. Results were announced on June 4, but allegations of question paper leaks in states like Bihar and other irregularities followed. The Education Ministry also cancelled the UGC-NET and NEET-PG exams after receiving reports that their integrity might have been compromised.
The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 12 pm amid ruckus over the ‘NEET issue’, as the Opposition demanded a discussion by suspending the current business, which is the discussion on the President’s address.
The Lok Sabha adjourned until noon after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi expressed his intention to raise the NEET issue. “We wanted to send a message to students from both sides — the Opposition and the government,” he stated, urging a separate discussion on NEET.
Speaker Om Birla clarified that neither the Adjournment motion nor any other business would precede the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President for her address.
Despite the Opposition MPs’ persistence for a NEET discussion and the laying of papers, Mr. Birla adjourned the House.
The Lok Sabha is currently observing a moment of silence to pay tribute to recently deceased Members including MPs Brahma Nand Mandal, D. Venugopal, Manohar Joshi, C.P.M. Giriyappa, A. Ganeshamurthi, V. Srinivas Prasad, M. Selvaraj, Sushil Kumar Modi, and others, as proceedings resume at 11 am.
“I urge PM Modi to hold respectful, good discussion on NEET issue in Parliament as it concerns country’s youth,”Congress leader and the leader of opposition, Rahul Gandhi said.
The debate on the motion in both Houses is expected to see intense exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches. This is the first session of Parliament after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha. In her address on Thursday, President Droupadi Murmu committed to investigating the recent paper leaks and ensuring the guilty are punished. She also described the 1975 Emergency as the “biggest and darkest chapter” of a direct attack on the Constitution, noting that the country emerged victorious over unconstitutional forces.