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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 3:16 PM IST
Kharge accuses Centre of undermining students’ rights
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday accused the Centre of weakening students' rights while speaking during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026.
Drawing a contrast with the previous Congress-led government, Kharge said the Right to Education had expanded access to schooling across the country, but alleged that the present government was taking the country in the opposite direction.
"The UPA government gave the right to education to every individual. These people (the government) are snatching that away," Kharge said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
- 30 July 2026 3:09 PM IST
Kharge says Anti-Paper Leak Bill misses real issues
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday argued that the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, did not deal with the underlying reasons behind repeated examination paper leaks.
Participating in the debate in the Upper House, Kharge said the fallout from paper leak incidents had affected students and their families across the country.
"Due to paper leak, how many innocent people were harmed and how many people were beaten, how many parents are troubled, how many women and children are troubled," Kharge said as quoted by the Hinduatan Times.
He contended that the proposed amendments were largely cosmetic and would not prevent such incidents from recurring.
"You have just changed the figures in the Public Examination Amendment Bill 2026 which has come here for discussion. In this bill, only the figures kept changing. Nothing is going to happen with that," he added.
- 30 July 2026 2:59 PM IST
Kharge says NTA reforms are still missing
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday questioned whether the proposed amendments would lead to meaningful changes in the country's examination system, arguing that structural reforms remained absent.
Taking part in the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, Kharge said replacing an individual would not address deeper shortcomings in the education sector.
"The minister is gone, but you are still not making any effort to bring reforms," Kharge said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
He added, "I do not believe that the education system changes just because one minister resigns."
Turning his attention to the National Testing Agency (NTA), Kharge argued that the core problems would persist unless the institution itself was overhauled.
"If the NTA remains the same, then after a few days we will once again be discussing the same issue in this House," he said.
- 30 July 2026 2:56 PM IST
Kharge demands Amit Shah’s resignation over student crackdown
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday demanded to know who had authorised the use of force against students protesting in Delhi, Bihar and West Bengal over examination-related issues.
Speaking during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, Kharge questioned the government's role in the police action and called for accountability.
“If the home minister (Amit Shah) can't answer these questions in the House, then he should tender his resignation,” Kharge said, as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
Referring to an incident in Bihar, Kharge alleged that a student had been targeted with an AK-47, adding that the individual "was not a terrorist," as he criticised the government's handling of the protests.
- 30 July 2026 2:55 PM IST
Kharge alleges Centre ordered lathi charge on students
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday accused the government of ordering a lathi charge against students protesting over examination paper leaks.
During the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, Kharge alleged that the police action could not have taken place without the Centre's approval.
He said the Delhi Police and the Central Reserve Police Force function under the direct jurisdiction of the Union Home Minister, adding, "All these cannot have happened without the approval of the Home Ministry," reported The Hindu.
- 30 July 2026 2:53 PM IST
Kharge clarifies ‘AC rooms’ remark in Rajya Sabha
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday clarified his earlier “we will drag you out of AC rooms” remark, saying it was not directed at any individual.
Explaining his statement in the House, Kharge said he was referring to the collective strength of students, women and ordinary people, who, he asserted, would one day compel those in power to step out and face the public.
According to Kharge, his remarks reflected the growing public anger over issues affecting people and should be seen in that context.
- 30 July 2026 2:48 PM IST
Kharge’s ‘AC rooms’ remark triggers Rajya Sabha uproar
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said the Opposition was anguished over the injuries suffered by students during protests against examination paper leaks, alleging that some had lost their eyesight after being hit by pellets.
Questioning the government's response, Kharge asked whether those in power felt the same sense of remorse over what had happened to the protesters.
In a sharp attack on the treasury benches, Kharge also took a swipe at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying the Opposition would one day “drag you out of AC rooms” and compel the government to face the public, reported India Today. The remark triggered noisy protests in the Rajya Sabha.
Leader of the House JP Nadda immediately objected to the statement, accusing Kharge of using unparliamentary language. Nadda urged the Leader of the Opposition not to let emotions dictate his speech and appealed to him to maintain parliamentary decorum.
- 30 July 2026 2:46 PM IST
Govt was ‘scared’ after Rahul Gandhi’s protest
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday claimed the government was “scared” after Rahul Gandhi staged a sit-in protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence.
Speaking during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, Kharge argued that the protest had increased pressure on the Centre over the Opposition's demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
According to Kharge, the government's subsequent actions came only after the demonstration, which he claimed had forced it to respond to the Opposition's demand seeking Pradhan's resignation.
- 30 July 2026 2:44 PM IST
Kharge blames Centre for paper leak fallout
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday blamed the BJP for the fallout from repeated examination paper leaks, saying political considerations had come at the expense of students.
Addressing the House during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, Kharge said the country had witnessed paper leaks, protests and police action because the government had failed to act in time.
“All of these could have been prevented if the party did not indulge in petty politics,” Kharge said as quoted by The Hindu.
Holding the Centre accountable for the events that followed the paper leak incidents, Kharge added that the government was responsible for “every wound inflicted on the protesters.”
- 30 July 2026 2:39 PM IST
Kharge says Govt rejected tougher Anti-Paper Leak law in 2024
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday attacked the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, arguing that the government had acted only after rejecting the Opposition's call for tougher legislation two years ago.
Taking part in the debate in the Upper House, Kharge said the Opposition had sought a stricter law to deal with paper leaks in 2024, but the government chose not to accept the proposal at the time.
"This is nothing new. We had demanded a strong law against paper leaks in 2024, but you did not accept our demand then. If you are taking this step now after two years, why didn't you do it two years ago?" he said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
Kharge accused the Centre of delaying the move for political reasons, saying, "Because you wanted to play politics. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections were approaching."
Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Kharge added, "Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi has consistently been raising this issue among the youth through the Bharat Jodo Yatra."
