The Lok Sabha was adjourned until July 1 on Friday after opposition members called for an adjournment motion to suspend all business and discuss issues related to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). Speaker Om Birla declined the request, stating that the House was set to discuss the Motion of Thanks on President Draupadi Murmu’s joint address to Parliament from the previous day. Despite this, the opposition persisted, leading to continued uproar and the Speaker eventually adjourning the session until Monday.
Earlier on Friday, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, demanded a discussion on NEET in Parliament, emphasizing the need for a “respectful” discussion. “Yesterday, all the leaders of the opposition parties had a meeting and it was unanimous that today, we want a discussion on the NEET issue. There should be a discussion on NEET here in the House. I request the Prime Minister that this is an issue of the youth and it should be discussed properly and it should be a respectful discussion. We will do it respectfully. You should also join the discussion, you should also participate because this is a matter for the youth. A message should go from the Parliament that the Indian government and the opposition are talking about the students together,” Rahul Gandhi told ANI before entering the Parliament.
Inside the Parliament, he added, “We wanted to give a joint message to the students of India, on behalf of the Opposition and the government, that we consider this an important issue. So, we thought that to respect students, we would have a discussion on NEET today, a dedicated discussion…”
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju responded, “…On behalf of the government, we have made it clear that we will give detailed information on whatever issue is raised. We assure the members once again that the Government is always ready for discussion. But by halting the proceedings of the House, the tendency adopted by Congress party – of not letting the House function – is not right…I condemn this. I appeal that those should not happen again.”
Notably, on June 23, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a criminal case regarding alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Special teams were formed to investigate the matter. According to the CBI’s FIR, “isolated incidents” occurred in a few states during the NEET (UG) 2024 examination, which took place on May 5, 2024.
The NEET (UG) 2024 exam was conducted by the NTA at 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 cities abroad, with over 23 lakh candidates appearing. An unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 out of 720, sparking widespread protests across the country.
In response, the Ministry of Education has established a high-level committee of experts to recommend reforms in the examination process, improvements in data security protocols, and enhancements to the functioning of the NTA.