Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon on Friday as opposition members created uproar and entered the Well of the House demanding an immediate discussion on the issue of alleged irregularities in the NEET exam.
The uproar started after Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar did not approve of 22 notices by members from the opposition benches under a rule (Rule 267 of the Rajya Sabha procedures) to suspend listed business of the day and hold discussion on the NEET issue.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari sought to raise a 'point of order' after the Chair rejected the notices. However, Dhankhar tried to impress upon the members that they would get ample opportunities during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address. A total of 21 hours have been allocated for it.
The Chair informed the House that the President, in her speech, had said that the government is fully committed to investigating the recent incidents of paper leaks and ensure that the guilty are punished.
Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge also urged the Chairman to accept the demand for discussion.
However, Dhankhar did not agree, and asked BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi to initiate the discussion on the motion of thanks.
As Trivedi started his speech, several opposition members entered the Well of the House raising slogans. They were also demanding resignation of the union education minister.
Dhankhar asked the opposition members standing in the Well to return to their seats. He also warned that they could be named.
In particular, he cautioned TMC members Sagarika Ghose, Derek O'Brien, and Saket Gokhale.
But the opposition did not relent, leading to adjournment of the proceedings till 12 noon.
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET-UG was conducted by the NTA on May 5 with around 24 lakh candidates taking part in it.
The results were announced on June 4, but they were followed by allegations of question paper leaks in states such as Bihar, besides other irregularities.
The Education Ministry also cancelled the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) and NEET (postgraduate) examinations after receiving inputs that the exams' "integrity may have been compromised.
Earlier, Chairman Dhankhar extended birthday greetings to Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav (June 29) and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh (June 30).
The House also made obituary references to former Rajya Sabha members, Ram Prakash, Fali S Nariman, Sushil Kumar Modi, and Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare.
It is the first session after the recent general elections and the assembly polls in four states.
