INDIA bloc to raise NEET issue in Parliament today, stage protest on July 1

The Opposition has decided to raise the NEET issue in both houses of Parliament on Friday (June 28) and members will give notices in this regard.

According to sources, the decision was taken at a meeting of INDIA bloc floor leaders on Thursday (June 27). As part of the decision, several INDIA bloc MPs will file adjournment notices in the Lok Sabha and under Rule 267 in the Rajya Sabha.

Motion of Thanks

BJP MP and former Union minister Anurag Thakur is expected to move the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, in the Lok Sabha on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may reply to it by July 2.

According to a Lok Sabha bulletin, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj will second the motion thanking the President for her address to the joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday.

In the Rajya Sabha, BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi will move the motion on Friday and the prime minister could respond to the debate on July 3 in the Upper House.

As per convention and parliamentary procedures, after the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha adopt separate motions thanking the President for the address.

The debate on the motion in both the Houses is likely to see both treasury and opposition benches launching sharp attacks on each other.

INDIA bloc protests on July 1

Leaders of various parties have also decided to hold a protest on Monday (July 1) morning before the parliamentary proceedings start, raising the issue of "political vendetta" against opposition leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and three West Bengal ministers, using agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and income-tax department, sources told PTI.

The meeting of INDIA bloc leaders on Thursday held in Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence was attended by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule (both from the NCP-SP), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Sanjay Raut, Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena-UBT), Sanjay Singh, Sandeep Pathak (both AAP), N K Premchandran (RSP) and Mahua Majhi (JMM).

“All of us are committed to unitedly raising the issues concerning people and fight for their rights," Rahul said in a post on X later.

The opposition leaders discussed a range of issues that will be jointly raised in both houses of Parliament. The issues include unemployment, price rise, misuse of central agencies, breakdown of institutions, the NEET exams and paper leaks.

With the INDIA bloc parties demanding the appointment of a deputy speaker in the Lok Sabha from the opposition ranks, the sources said they would press for their demand strongly and discuss the names for the post soon.

They are of the view that the deputy speaker's post should go to any of the principal opposition parties like the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), Trinamool Congress (TMC) or DMK.

This is the first session of Parliament after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha.

The Opposition has emerged stronger in the recently held general elections, and issues like exam paper leak are set to dominate most part of the debate.

Murmu on NEET, Emergency 

In her address on Thursday, President Droupadi Murmu said the government is fully committed to investigating the recent incidents of paper leaks and ensure that the guilty are punished.

A senior BJP leader said Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan could intervene in the debate on the issue related to the medical entrance exam NEET-UG whose question paper was allegedly leaked.

Asked whether other ministers could also intervene, he said it would depend on the issues which are raised in the course of the debate.

With the President, vice president, the prime minister and the speaker referring to the imposition of Emergency in 1975 since the beginning of the session, the issue would also dominate the proceedings in the coming days.

In her address, President Murmu described Emergency as the "biggest and darkest" chapter of direct attack on the Constitution.

Opposition members can give notices of amendments to the Motion of Thanks on the President's address. They are usually negated by a voice vote at the end of the debate.

The Parliament session is likely to end on July 3.

(With inputs from agencies)