Opposition, Government row over NEET debate in Rajya Sabha; The house was repeatedly postponed

Rajya Sabha adjourned during monsoon session of Parliament on July 22, 2026. Photo: Sansad TV/ANI Video Grab

Repeated adjournments paralyzed proceedings in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday (July 22, 2026) as the Opposition and the government sparred over the rules governing the debate over the alleged leak of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) question paper. While the opposition demanded a discussion under Article 267, which requires the suspension of daily operations, the government said no conditions could be dictated.

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Vice-Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh read out the ruling that an adjournment motion could be taken only in the “rarest of rare” situations. Arguing that the current situation qualifies as the “rarest of the rare”, the opposition demanded a debate under Article 267, adding that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must resign before the debate.

The House witnessed repeated sloganeering followed by several adjournments and did not take up any agenda during the day.

In the morning, opposition MPs appeared in black clothes. The House paid tribute to the 20 people killed in an accident in an under-construction hydroelectric tunnel in Sikkim. Speaker CP Radhakrishnan also briefed the House about the indigenous hydrogen-powered train.

Soon after the Speaker’s announcement, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the police action against protesting students at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Monday, saying it had caused him “immense pain.” As soon as he began speaking, BJP members raised slogans that drew counter-slogans from opposition members. As the ruckus continued, the Speaker adjourned the House till noon.

When the House reconvened at 12 noon, Mr. Kharge tried to raise the issue again, but sloganeering continued, forcing Deputy Speaker Harivansh to adjourn the House till 2 pm. In the afternoon, the upper house was adjourned until 15:00 and later for the whole day.

When the House reconvened at 2 pm, Mr. Harivansh invited Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiran Rijija to speak. Mr Rijiju claimed that the government was ready to discuss all issues and criticized the opposition for placing conditions on the debate. He said it was up to the Speaker to decide the rule under which the debate could take place. “The government has been saying since the beginning of the session that all important issues, including the NEET paper leak, will be discussed,” he said.

Mr. Kharge disputed this and reiterated that the discussion had to take place under Article 267 and that Mr. Pradhan’s resignation had to come before the debate. He also tried to raise the issue of police action against protesters in Delhi, amid sloganeering by BJP MPs. Speaker of the House JP Nadda accused the opposition of destroying the dignity of Parliament with its “irresponsible behaviour”. He said Mr. Rijiju has made it clear that the government is willing to discuss all issues, including the NEET paper leak.

DMK MP Tiruchi Siva also spoke briefly, arguing that the matter had been designated as the “rarest of the rare”, warranting a discussion under Article 267.

“We all gave notice about Rule 267 in view of the ongoing student strike over the NEET paper leak and you cited a precedent that Rule 267 has not been invoked for many years, but you also mentioned that it could be adopted on the rarest of rare occasions. We say this is one such occasion because Sonam (Wangchuk) has been fasting for many days, his students are in hospital, s5 have died by suicide, the students’ strike is also going on and the government has also given an assurance,” said Mr. Siva.

Published – 22 Jul 2026 22:54 IST