Rajya Sabha impasse on: Government says ready for debate, Opposition wants Pradhan resignation first

After the listed papers were tabled, Kharge, wearing a black armband in protest, said the police action against students on Monday had caused him “immense pain”.

While the treasury benches objected loudly, even before Kharge could complete his sentence, Chairman C P Radhakrishnan adjourned the proceedings until noon.

At noon, when the House reconvened, Deputy Chairman Harivansh urged the MPs to allow Zero Hour discussion. However, after his repeated requests to let the House function were ignored, he adjourned the proceedings until 2pm.

When the House reconvened at 2pm, the Opposition continued to demand the Education Minister’s resignation. Rijiju said the government had taken steps to address the NEET paper leak issue and was ready to discuss the same. Leader of the House and Health Minister J P Nadda hit out at the Opposition, terming their behaviour “irresponsible” and “anti-democratic”.

Reiterating the demand for a discussion under Rule 267 after Pradhan’s resignation, Kharge said an unbiased discussion could only happen after the minister resigns. Amid sloganeering from both sides, Harivansh adjourned the proceedings until 3pm, after which the House reconvened and disruptions continued, leading to the House being adjourned until 11am on Thursday.

In a post on X, DMK Rajya Sabha member P Wilson said on Wednesday that he has given a notice under Rule 267 seeking suspension of business of the House to take up an immediate discussion on NEET issue.

“To ban NEET as advised by Thalaivar @mkstalin, I have given a notice under Rule 267 seeking that the business of the House be suspended… to take up an immediate discussion on this NEET issue and to adopt a Resolution calling upon the government to abolish NEET,” he said.

Several Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha have given a notice under Rule 267 for a suspension of ordinary business and an immediate discussion on the issue, said Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh. In a post on X, he said that they also want discussion on “the manner in which the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and other opposition leaders were manhandled, pushed around, and dragged on the roads by police personnel on July 21”.

The impasse in the Rajya Sabha is entirely because of the continued refusal of the government to have this discussion under Rule 267, Ramesh said.

Earlier, members observed silence to pay tribute to the 20 workers killed in an accident at an under-construction tunnel project in Sikkim. Radhakrishnan also mentioned India’s first indigenously developed hydrogen-powered train, congratulating the Prime Minister, the Railway Minister and railway officials on the achievement on behalf of the Upper House.