LS Adjourned Till Monday; Govt Says Not Holding Debate on NEET Will Send Wrong Message

Lok Sabha proceedings were washed out for the fifth day in a row on Friday as the opposition stuck to its demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, while the government said any excuse to not let a debate take place on the NEET paper leak issue would send a wrong signal to the country.

When the House met at 12 noon after an earlier adjournment, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju pointed to the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and said the government has repeatedly reached out to opposition parties to let debate on the paper leak take place in Parliament.

He said while several opposition MPs are of the view that debate should take place, Gandhi should make his party members understand the need for a discussion.

He said making excuses and attaching pre-conditions before a debate will send a wrong message to the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also assured of a stringent law on paper leaks and holding trial of the accused in fast-track courts, he said, while also noting that activist Sonam Wangchuk has ended his hunger strike.

He said the Union Cabinet will take a decision on the proposed law on Friday.

However, the Congress and other opposition parties continued to insist on resignation of Pradhan and shouted slogans like "Istifa Do".

When Gandhi wanted to speak, Jagdambika Pal, who was presiding the House, said he will give him a chance after minister's table parliamentary documents but the House was later adjourned for the day till Monday and the Congress leader couldn't speak.

For the past five days, the House has been witnessing repeated adjournments due to opposition protest over the NEET paper leak issue.

Earlier as the House met for the day, Speaker Om Birla mentioned that the 27th Kargil Vijay Diwas is to be observed on Sunday and paid tributes to gallant armed forces personnel.

The opposition members soon started raising slogans demanding Pradhan's resignation and Birla reminded them that he has already assured them of a debate on the issue of paper leaks in accordance with the House rules.

He said the Question Hour is an important part of House proceedings where members can hold the government accountable and urged the opposition not to disrupt proceedings.

The Question Hour has not been completed on any of the five days so far. The Monsoon session ends on August 13.