Parliament Stalls as Opposition Protests Swirl Over Exams, Police Action and Temple Donation Row

New Delhi – For the second straight day the Monsoon Session of Parliament has been anything but business as usual. Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were quietly emptied, adjourned early, after opposition members erupted in protest over three very different, yet equally charged, issues.

First on the agenda – or rather, the grievance – was the rumored leak of the NEET examination paper. Opposition lawmakers, echoing the anger felt by thousands of aspirants across the country, demanded a parliamentary inquiry, saying the alleged breach threatens the very credibility of India’s medical admission process.

Almost simultaneously, a fresh row over police action in the capital added fuel to the fire. On Monday night, police reportedly used force against students who had gathered to decry what they called a failing education system. Several activists were detained, and the episode drew sharp criticism from opposition leaders who labelled the move a “brutal crackdown”.

Rounding out the triad of controversies was an alleged theft of donations meant for the Ram Temple project. Sources close to the matter claim that a substantial sum earmarked for the temple’s construction vanished under mysterious circumstances, prompting calls for a transparent probe.

Against this backdrop, a delegation of opposition MPs, led by Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, met Speaker Om Birla inside the Parliament complex. Gandhi, posting on X, wrote, “Our demand is simple: Parliament must discuss the brutality unleashed on students yesterday and the government’s total lack of accountability for the examination crisis. If Parliament cannot discuss the future of India’s youth, what is it for?” The speaker, however, replied that any such discussion would require prior approval from the government.

In the Rajya Sabha, a similar mood prevailed. Floor leaders from the INDIA bloc gathered in the office of Opposition Leader Mallikarjun Kharge, hashing out a coordinated strategy for the day’s protests. Their plan? To keep the pressure on the ruling party and ensure that the three issues stay on the parliamentary radar.

Both houses were adjourned twice – first at 11 a.m., then again at noon – before finally being sent home for the day at 2 p.m. The scenes mirrored each other, with lawmakers in both chambers raising their voices, slamming tables and demanding answers.

While the government has yet to offer a concrete response, the opposition’s persistence suggests that the Monsoon Session will remain anything but routine in the days to come.