Indian Parliament's Monsoon Session Disrupted Over Student Protester Violence

New Delhi, July 22: Government and the opposition on Wednesday again had a face off in Parliament on day three of the Monsoon Session as the latter pressed for resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the police excesses on protesting students on July 20 even as the government agreed to have a discussion on the issue. Both the Houses of Parliament again witnessed multiple adjournments despite government agreeing for the discussion but opposition remaining firm on their ground. As both the Houses reconvened at 2 pm on Wednesday, Congress chief and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, expressed that there would be no discussion on any issue in the Parliament until Pradhan resigned from his post. “We want discussion on NEET under Rule 267… Education Minister should resign,” Kharge said. Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and BJP minister JP Nadda reiterated that the government was willing to hold discussion on the NEET paper leak issue in the House. However, the Opposition uproar continued over Pradhan’s resignation and police action against student protesters on July 20. Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proceedings was adjourned for the day. Earlier in the day, Opposition MPs from Congress were dressed in black clothes as mark of protest against the police action on July 20, as leaders of several INDIA bloc parties staged a protest near Parliament’s Makar Dwar to express solidarity with students protesting against the NEET paper leak issue. The leaders pressed for the resignations of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Pradhan over police action on student protesters, and the NEET paper leak and raised slogans against the government. A day earlier, Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, Kharge, Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Congress leader and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav were detained as they rallied behind protesters at Jantar Mantar. They were released later in the night. Rajya Sabha deputy Chairman Harivansh while speaking on Kharge’s wish to invoke Rule 267 said that Rule 267 has been invoked only in “rarest of rare occasions” in the last four decades. His comments come after Kharge expressed that the Opposition wished to discuss the NEET examination in the House under Rule 267. “A fair discussion on this issue will only be possible when Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns,” Kharge said. Earlier in the day, heated exchanges took place in Lok Sabha when House had reconvened at 12 noon between Speaker Om Birla, Congress MP KC Venugopal and Rijiju. Speaking in the House, Birla saidnthat the government was ready for discussion. To which, Venugopal said that it Congress demands for Pradhan’s removal as he insisted that the adjournment motion to discuss the education sector crisis and police brutality done on July 20 be accepted. “Our demand is simple, when the entire nation is feeling the pain of our students – all other business of the House should be set aside and this burning issue should be top priority for Parliament,” he said. To this, Rijiju remarked that the government was ready for discussion and it needs to speak with opposition parties for the same and decide the time and duration as well as the rule under which discussion will take place. Then even Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav spoke and said that it is not about Congress or Samajwadi Party or any other party. “This is an issue of students, youths. The way government has behaved… students were thrashed. We were compelled to hold protest outside the PM’s residence. Why can’t the Prime Minister give statement in the House when he can make statements outside?” Akhilesh Yadav asked. The Lok Sabha Speaker then remarked that the opposition needs to put its differences aside first over their demand and said that the discussion cannot happen in gallery but in the House as the government was ready for a discussion. The house was adjourned till 2 p.m. amid uproar, but once it again assembled it was adjourned for the day.