The Monsoon Session of Parliament got off to a stormy start on Monday, with Lok Sabha proceedings disrupted multiple times due to protests by Opposition parties. The primary issues raised by the Opposition included the alleged NEET paper leak and the Ram temple donation theft. The disruption came as protesters, led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), attempted to break barricades to march to Parliament, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged paper leak and CBSE exam irregularities.
The House was adjourned six times since it met in the morning, and was later adjourned for the day at 3 p.m. The only business transacted was the introduction of a Bill by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to replace an Ordinance which increased the number of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38. The changed political alignments following the recent Assembly polls were also visible during the proceedings, with the split between the Congress and the DMK appearing clear inside the Lok Sabha.
As soon as the Lok Sabha assembled, Opposition MPs raised slogans, with Congress, Samajwadi Party, and Trinamool Congress members protesting over alleged NEET paper leaks and the donation embezzlement at Ram Temple in Ayodhya. However, the TMC MPs who trooped into the Well of the House did not include the 20 rebel MPs who now claim to be a part of the National Citizenship Party of India (NCPI). The DMK, which parted ways with the Congress after the latter broke off their alliance, also entered the Well, but its members raised slogans over the Karnataka government’s proposal to build a dam at Mekedatu across the Cauvery river.
The DMK from the INDIA bloc was evident since the morning, as it skipped the customary strategy meeting of Opposition parties convened by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his Parliament office. Sources told The Hindu that DMK supremo M. K. Stalin, during a Zoom meeting, made it clear that the party’s Lok Sabha members shouldn’t associate themselves with issues raised by the Congress on the floor of the House.
Repeated adjournments took place throughout the day, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju saying the House could not function if disruptions continued. The House was eventually adjourned for the day at 3 p.m. Earlier, at 2 p.m., BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was officiating as the Speaker, said there was adequate quorum to conduct business, but some Opposition MPs alleged they were being prevented from entering the House.
