Parliament deadlock continues; Opposition to meet over strategy

New Delhi: Floor leaders of opposition parties will meet at 10 am on Thursday in the office of the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, to chalk out their joint strategy.

Deadlock continues in Parliament over the Opposition's demand for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and its insistence on a discussion on the NEET-UG paper leak under a specific rule.

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The government said it was ready for a debate but urged the Opposition not to impose new conditions. The Rajya Sabha witnessed several adjournments amid the standoff before being adjourned for the day.

When the House assembled at 2 pm after its adjournment earlier, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said Pradhan should resign for a fair discussion to take place.

"If there has to be a fair discussion, the Education Minister should resign first. Until he resigns, there won't be a fair discussion here," he said.

Opposition members, including DMK's Tiruchi Siva, demanded discussion under Rule 267, which entails suspension of specific rules related to listed business in the Rajya Sabha.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the opposition was putting new conditions when the government is ready for debate.

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Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders today said that suspension of party leader Kalyan Banerjee from Lok Sabha for the remainder of monsoon session was "out of order".

Kalyan Banerjee, meanwhile, hit out at rebel MPs of the party who have joined NCPI and said they have no support in West Bengal.

"What will they get by suspending me from here?... It is a party of barely twenty people. They (20 TMC rebel MPs) held a meeting in Kolkata after a month and a half. They do not even have twenty voters. They have nothing. Not a single person has voted for them in West Bengal...They are all traitors and dishonest people...The government will fall after a year," he told reporters.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on Monday. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla approved a separate seating arrangement for 20 MPs who broke away from the TMC. However, the merger of the rebel TMC MPs with the NCPI has not yet been approved by the Speaker.