Opposition MPs seek Lok Sabha debate on student protest 'brutality' and exam crisis
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, along with several Opposition MPs, met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) to demand a parliamentary discussion on the alleged use of force against students during a protest march and the government's handling of the examination paper leak crisis.
The meeting took place in the Speaker's office before the start of the day's proceedings. Those present included Samajwadi Party's Dharmendra Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Arvind Savant, and RSP's N.K. Premchandran, among others.
In a post on social media platform X, Mr. Gandhi stated: “Met the Hon'ble Lok Sabha Speaker today along with MPs of the Opposition. Our demand is simple: Parliament must have a detailed discussion on the brutality unleashed on students yesterday and on the government's complete lack of accountability for the examination crisis.” He claimed that students were beaten for asking legitimate questions about their future. “If Parliament cannot discuss the future of India's youth, what is it for?” he asked. Mr. Gandhi added that the Opposition would ensure the students' voice is heard both on the streets and in Parliament.
Congress whip Manickam Tagore said the delegation sought a discussion on what they termed an “attack on students” on Monday during a protest against the paper leak issue. “We are demanding that Home Minister Amit Shah comes to the House and replies on this,” Mr. Tagore added.
Earlier, floor leaders of the INDIA bloc met in the chamber of Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge to strategise for the second day of the Monsoon Session. The meeting was attended by Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and K.C. Venugopal, Samajwadi Party's Dharmendra Yadav, NCP (SP)'s Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut, JMM's Mahua Maji, CPI(M)'s John Brittas, and P Santhosh Kumar, among others.
On Monday, proceedings in both Houses were disrupted as Opposition MPs protested over the NEET paper leak. Outside Parliament, protesters led by the Congress-backed Chhatra Janata Party (CJP) broke barricades to approach the Parliament complex, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha saw multiple adjournments as Opposition members raised slogans and displayed placards calling for discussions on the NEET paper leak and alleged donation theft at the Ram temple.
In Rajya Sabha, Mr. Kharge sought to speak on the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, stating that the issue concerns the future of lakhs of students.
