What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
As Dharmendra Pradhan stepped forward to take his oath, leaders from the INDIA bloc jeered with chants of “NEET,” criticising the NDA government over exam-related controversies.
NEW DELHI: The 18th Lok Sabha commenced today with Members of Parliament taking their oaths, starting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the ceremony was marked by protests and slogans from opposition leaders targeting Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam.
As Dharmendra Pradhan stepped forward to take his oath, leaders from the INDIA bloc jeered with chants of “NEET,” criticising the NDA government over exam-related controversies.
ALSO READ: 18th Lok Sabha session: MPs take oath amid protests
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh commented, “The non-biological PM who suffered a resounding personal, political, and moral defeat in the Lok Sabha elections has just given his usual desh ke naam sandesh outside the Parliament as the 18th Lok Sabha prepares to commence its tenure.”
The NEET-UG exam, conducted in May with results declared on June 4, has faced allegations of inflated marking and paper leaks, sparking nationwide outrage. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi pledged that his party would raise the issue in Parliament, following promises made to affected students.
Outrage intensified when the National Testing Agency (NTA) postponed the NEET-PG exam hours before it was scheduled, leading to protests from students who had travelled long distances to exam centres. The government responded by forming a seven-member committee to investigate the NTA and implement examination reforms. Additionally, NTA DG Subodh Kumar Singh was removed, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe into the irregularities.
ALSO READ: Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Top women leaders who won
Aside from the protests, several key leaders took their oaths today. Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, G. Kishan Reddy, Chirag Paswan, Kiren Rijiju, Mansukh Mandaviya, Bhupender Yadav, Giriraj Singh, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Piyush Goyal, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan were among those who participated.
Malayalam actor and BJP leader Suresh Gopi, who won from Kerala’s Thrissur constituency by a margin of 74,686 votes, took his oath as Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Ministry of Tourism. Gopi’s victory marked the BJP’s first significant win in Kerala’s Lok Sabha elections.
The first session of the Lok Sabha is anticipated to be contentious, with the opposition prepared to challenge the BJP-led NDA government on multiple issues, including the election of the Speaker and the NEET-UG controversies.
