The deadlock over the NEET paper leak issue continued in the Lok Sabha on Friday, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju urging the Opposition to allow a debate, while opposition parties remained firm on their demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
Addressing the House, Rijiju said, "Not holding a debate on NEET will send a wrong message to the country," and urged the Opposition not to impose preconditions for a discussion.
He said the government had repeatedly reached out to opposition parties, including the Congress, to facilitate a debate.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on measures to tackle paper leaks, Rijiju said that since the Prime Minister had assured the country that a law would be enacted and fast-track courts set up to deal with such cases, the Opposition should not attach preconditions.
The minister also noted that activist Sonam Wangchuk had ended his hunger strike and appealed for the House to begin a discussion on the issue.
However, the Congress and other opposition parties continued to press for Pradhan's resignation, raising slogans of "Istifa Do" in the House. Amid the protests, proceedings were adjourned for the day.
The Lok Sabha has witnessed repeated disruptions over the NEET paper leak issue for the past five days, with Opposition members demanding Pradhan's resignation before any debate takes place.
(With inputs from PTI)