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Proceedings of the Lok Sabha were adjourned till 2 pm on Thursday (July 30) amid continued protests and heated exchanges between the Treasury and Opposition benches during the Monsoon Session.
Opposition MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, protested in the Parliament House complex on Thursday against alleged police excesses against student protesters and theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The MPs protested in front of Makar Dwar of Parliament. Slogans such as 'chadhawa chor, gaddi chhor', 'grih mantri sadan mein aao' and 'who gave the order' were raised by the lawmakers.
Also read | NEET solution: Online, offline, or scrapped? Experts split on exam future
The protesting MPs lined up behind a big banner that read 'who gave the order', an apparent reference to the directions to security personnel to use lethal force against student protesters at the recent agitation against NEET paper leak.
The INDIA bloc has vowed to corner the government on issues of alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple and the use of "brutal force" against students during their protests last week.
CJP chief takes a jibe at PM Modi
Meanwhile, asserting that student protesters are “not terrorists”, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday demanded action against officials who ordered pellet gun firing at Jantar Mantar on July 20. Warning that continued police harassment would prompt young people to “change the government”, he also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he should step down and "become an influencer" instead.
Referring to the Prime Minister’s recent Instagram videos addressing the youth, Dipke told reporters in his hometown in Maharashtra, “I think [PM Modi] should become an influencer. He is doing very well at that. If he is such a good influencer, then he should leave the Prime Minister's chair, become an influencer, and let someone else do the job.”
‘Students can change govt’
Dipke also sought strict legal action against officials who authorised the use of pellet guns against student demonstrators at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar and warned that the government should not presume that students' anger has decreased after Pradhan's resignation.
"Whether it be Amit Shah (or anyone else), action should be taken against the person who gave orders to fire pellet guns," Dipke said. He also warned that if need be, the students may launch a fresh agitation on a "much bigger scale".
Also read | NEET protests: Which states have withdrawn cases against protesters?
"These students are not terrorists. They are the future of our country. If the future of the country is troubled in such a way, just as Dharmendra Pradhan had to step down...Tomorrow, we will go and change the government if it doesn't fall in line," the CJP founder added.
(With agency inputs)
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Live Updates
- 30 July 2026 7:13 PM IST
Panellists call out Amit Shah’s 'inaction' over protest crackdown, say silence strengthens opposition
The Congress is intensifying pressure on Union Home Minister Amit Shah for staying silent over the police crackdown on Cockroach Janta Party protesters last week, even as Parliament debates the fallout. Senior leaders such as Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have demanded accountability, arguing the government deflected by pushing an anti-paper leak Bill instead.
On The Federal's Capital Beat, panellists Puneet Nicholas Yadav, Sanjeev Kapoor, and Sanjiv Sood discussed this. The panel agreed that continued silence from Shah and PM Modi only strengthens Opposition claims of evasion, keeping the controversy alive through the session.
- 30 July 2026 5:34 PM IST
Praful Patel urges consensus on Exam Reform Bill
Nationalist Congress Party MP Praful Patel, speaking during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, said the developments of the past few months had been a matter of concern for everyone.
He urged members to keep politics out of the discussion, saying the issue concerned the future of the country's youth.
While backing the democratic right to protest, Patel questioned the language used during some of the demonstrations. He also stressed the need to provide young people with proper guidance.
Patel said the Bill should be seen as a sign of the government's resolve to address the issue and move the country forward, rather than as an admission of failure.
- 30 July 2026 5:32 PM IST
SP's Ram Gopal Yadav calls for scrapping NEET
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav, taking part in the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, argued that imposing harsher penalties alone would not curb wrongdoing.
"Only increasing punishment will not prevent the crime from happening," Yadav said, as quoted by The Hindu.
He also called for scrapping the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and urged the Centre to allow states to hold their own entrance examinations for medical courses.
- 30 July 2026 5:30 PM IST
JD(U) MP alleges outsiders joined student protests
Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, representing Bihar, used the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill to set out the Centre's record on expanding medical education.
During his speech, Jha alleged that a Malayalam news channel had aired a report claiming that a Dubai-based businessman paid 23 people to travel to India and join the recent student protests. His remarks drew sharp objections from Congress members in the House.
Jha said the concerns raised by students were valid but argued that the participation of certain people in the protests raised fresh questions about who had joined the demonstrations.
- 30 July 2026 4:13 PM IST
Tiruchi Siva challenges BJP's Brij Lal on pellet gun claim
DMK MP Tiruchi Siva on Thursday challenged BJP MP Brij Lal's claim in the Rajya Sabha that pellet guns had not been used during protests over examination paper leaks.
Questioning the assertion, Siva said, “Yesterday, the Supreme Court directed to treat those who have been injured by pellet guns be treated," reported The Hindu.
Siva also alleged that the government had failed to honour one of the commitments made to protesting students, saying the assurance to withdraw cases registered against them had still not been fulfilled.
- 30 July 2026 4:06 PM IST
DMK’s Tiruchi Siva calls Anti-Paper Leak Bill ineffective
DMK MP Tiruchi Siva on Thursday criticised the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, during the debate in the Rajya Sabha, arguing that the proposed law would not address the deeper problems affecting the education sector.
Questioning the effectiveness of the legislation, Siva said, “This Bill will not change the education system in the country," reported The Hindu.
- 30 July 2026 3:53 PM IST
Lok Sabha passes National Honour Bill amid protests, adjourned for the day
The Lok Sabha resumed proceedings on Thursday amid protests at 3.30pm as members took up the National Honour (Amendment) Bill for discussion.
Participating in the debate, DMK MP Kanimozhi opposed the proposed legislation, arguing that it was inconsistent with the country's secular character.
“You’re disrespecting the Tamil people by bringing this Bill,” Kanimozhi said, adding that the legislation “divides people across the country.” She said the DMK opposed the Bill.
The legislation was later passed after a brief, largely symbolic debate, with Kanimozhi and BJP MP Sambit Patra making short interventions before the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day.
- 30 July 2026 3:32 PM IST
Rajya Sabha Chair expunges Kharge’s book references
A brief exchange broke out in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday after Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge questioned the curriculum and cited passages from certain textbooks during the debate.
Leader of the House JP Nadda objected to Kharge's remarks, urging him not to read from material that had not been authenticated.
As members continued to argue over the issue, Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan intervened and ruled, "Nothing quoted from the book will go on record," as quoted by the Hindustsn Times.
- 30 July 2026 3:27 PM IST
BJP hits back at Kharge over Manusmriti remarks
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi on Thursday strongly objected to Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks on the Manusmriti, accusing the Leader of the Opposition of making misleading claims by referring to a text that, according to him, was not the original Manusmriti.
Joining the criticism, Leader of the House JP Nadda said Kharge's comments were divisive and warned that such remarks had the potential to create discord in society.
- 30 July 2026 3:19 PM IST
Kharge’s Manusmriti remarks trigger Rajya Sabha uproar
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks on the Manusmriti triggered a heated exchange in the Upper House on Thursday during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026.
During his speech, Kharge alleged that the Manusmriti had promoted casteism in the field of education. The comments drew sharp protests from members of the treasury benches, leading to an uproar in the House.
