Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday informed the Lok Sabha that the government is ready to hold a discussion on the alleged NEET-UG paper leak issue, urging floor leaders of all political parties to decide the rules and duration of the debate.
Addressing the House, Rijiju said the government has been offering to discuss the matter for the past three days.
“For three days, the government has formally offered that discussions be held. The government is ready to discuss the NEET paper leak issue. The discussion will happen based on rules, and its duration will be decided after consultations with floor leaders of all parties,” Rijiju said.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also stated that the government is prepared for a discussion and invited opposition parties to hold consultations to finalise the agenda and framework of the debate.
Following Rijiju’s remarks, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the issue was larger than political interests and concerned the future of students.
“These are our students, and we are fighting for them. The issue is not merely restricted to resignation. Action must be taken against those responsible. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should make a statement in the House,” Yadav said.
Amid continued sloganeering and protests by Opposition members, proceedings in the Lok Sabha were adjourned till 2 pm.
Earlier in the day, Congress MP K.C. Venugopal said Opposition parties had unanimously decided to continue pressing for a discussion on the alleged NEET and CBSE examination paper leak through an adjournment motion while reiterating their demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
“Today morning, we held discussions with Opposition parties. For the last three days, we have continuously submitted adjournment motions on the NEET-CBSE paper leak issue, demanding the resignation of the Education Minister and a concrete action plan to prevent such incidents,” Venugopal said.
He added that the Opposition was ready for a discussion if the government accepted the adjournment motion.
Meanwhile, Opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several others, staged a protest in the Parliament complex wearing black clothes to press their demands.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said students were raising genuine concerns and seeking their rightful demands, urging the government to address the issue seriously.
