New Delhi, 22 July (H.S.):

A heated uproar was witnessed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday over the alleged NEET paper leak issue, with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav expressing displeasure after the Speaker allowed both the government and Congress members to present their views.

When the House resumed proceedings at noon, opposition members raised strong protests over the alleged examination irregularities and police action against students. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla allowed members from the Congress and the ruling side to speak, following which Akhilesh Yadav objected to not being given an opportunity to present his views.

The development came after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju proposed a discussion on the NEET paper leak issue, followed by Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal’s response. Speaker Om Birla said that all sides had expressed their views and that the government, opposition and other parties were willing to discuss the matter.

Birla said that discussions could not take place while members were standing in the galleries and urged everyone to follow parliamentary procedure.

Reacting to this, Akhilesh Yadav accused the Speaker of not giving him an opportunity to speak. He said, “You allowed them and others to speak, but what about us?” He added that the issue was not about the Congress, Samajwadi Party or the BJP, but was related to the concerns of students.

Following the continued disruption, the Lok Sabha Speaker adjourned the proceedings until 2:00 pm.

Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the government had been offering discussions on the NEET paper leak issue for the past three days and reiterated that it was ready for a debate.

Rijiju said that discussions in Parliament must be conducted under specific rules and proper arrangements need to be made before the debate takes place. He requested that the Speaker consult floor leaders of all parties and decide the date, duration and rules under which the discussion would be held.

The minister maintained that the government was fully prepared to hold a discussion on the issue and urged members to ensure that parliamentary proceedings continue smoothly.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar