The third day of the monsoon session of Parliament ended on Wednesday with the government asserting its readiness to hold a debate on paper leaks and the Opposition pushing for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
People familiar with the matter said that the Union government accused the opposition of politicizing the ongoing student movement and said it was changing its “objectives,” stressing that the doors to dialogue with those leading the protests are “always open.”
In Parliament, the government said it was open to a discussion on the paper leaks, even as the opposition intensified its demands for Pradhan’s resignation, and even set conditions to allow the discussion.
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharjee said: “There will be no discussion on this issue until the education minister resigns… It cannot be a fair discussion until he resigns.”
The Congress leader also stressed that the debate should take place under Rule 267, which allows urgent issues to bypass business listed in the House.
The Union government criticized the Congress for setting conditions, and Vice President Harivansh clarified that the President’s ruling had already specified that discussions could not be allowed under the said rule.
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Opposition representatives, dressed in black, organized protests against the government at Parliament headquarters.
Leader of the House JP Nadda accused the opposition of not adhering to democratic principles. “The behavior of the INDI alliance is completely irresponsible. Their anti-democratic activities are clearly visible in Parliament. By tearing down the dignity of Parliament, they are undermining democratic values. Our government is ready to discuss not only every issue, but also discuss NEET paper leak and all activities arising out of it,” Nadda said.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the opposition makes a demand and then does not listen to it. “…If you make a request but refuse to listen, it implies that you do not want to discuss. Through you, I would like to present the government’s position in this House. Since the first day of this monsoon session, the government has maintained that we are ready to discuss all important issues, including the NEET examination paper leak, and we remain ready to do so even now.”
Defense Minister Rajanth Singh said the protests were a matter of grave concern, but it was very unfortunate that some people were trying to use the students as a tool for their political interests.
“We are committed to ensuring that no one is subjected to injustice, especially our students and youth,” he said. “The feigned anger of some opposition leaders is just a failed attempt to confuse and mislead the public, especially our children and youth.”
Singh said in a democracy, Parliament is the right place to discuss issues, where the opposition is free to express its views.
In Lok Sabha, Rijiju said the government was ready for discussion. He said: “We have said from day one that we are ready to have a meaningful discussion on this issue.”
Congress leader KC Venugopal intervened to assert that the opposition was also seeking Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. “Our demand is simple. When the pain of our students is felt by the entire nation, all other works of the House should be put aside and this pressing issue should be the top priority of Parliament,” Venugopal said.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that Birla did not give his party a chance to speak on the matter. Objecting to not allowing them to raise their demand, Yadav said, “Are you cooperating with them? This issue is not about the BJP, Congress or SP. We are all fighting together.”
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A senior BJP legislator said the opposition is “constantly changing its goals” even as the government makes efforts to meet their demands.
“On Tuesday, when Rahul Gandhi was asked to vacate the protest site outside the Prime Minister’s residence, he first put forward a set of conditions and then backed down. Again, they asked to discuss the issue of paper leaks, and when the government agreed, they linked the discussion to the minister’s resignation and made excuses about the rules of discussion… This is a typical change of targets,” the lawmaker said, adding that the opposition was trying to create a trust deficit between the government and the protesters.
