Chaos in Parliament; Opposition demands accountability on NEET, Ayodhya

NEW DELHI: Both Houses of Parliament witnessed repeated adjournments on Monday as opposition members staged vociferous protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and reported financial misconduct involving the Ayodhya Ram Temple trust.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned six times throughout the day, while the Rajya Sabha faced five adjournments. Opposition MPs entered the well of the House as soon as proceedings began, brandishing placards that criticised the government’s handling of competitive exams and the management of donations at the Ayodhya temple.

In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla reprimanded the opposition for chanting slogans during the time allotted for paying condolences to deceased Members of Parliament, describing the disruption as disrespectful to the departed leaders.

Despite the persistent chaos, the government managed to conduct limited legislative business. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to replace an ordinance raising the total strength of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38. However, following further disruptions, the House was eventually adjourned for the day to meet on Tuesday.

The situation in the Rajya Sabha mirrored the lower house. Proceedings were repeatedly halted before being adjourned at 2:30 p.m. Due to the ongoing uproar, a bill seeking to make the disrespect of Vande Mataram a punishable offence could not be introduced.

Addressing the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge demanded an immediate discussion on the NEET examination controversy. He argued that the paper leak had jeopardised the future of lakhs of students and pointed to ongoing protests at Jantar Mantar as evidence of the public outcry.

"If the government cannot conduct examinations properly, the Modi administration must resign," Kharge stated. He further targeted the government regarding the administration of the Ayodhya Ram Temple, alleging that funds collected in the name of Lord Ram had been misappropriated by officials appointed by the Centre. He asserted that the Prime Minister must take accountability for these alleged failures.