‘Allocate time starting today’: Shah writes to LS Speaker for debate on NEET protest by students
NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and asked him to allocate time for a discussion over the student protest on NEET paper leak.In the letter, Shah said that the Lower House already discussed the Public Examination (prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, claiming that none of the opposition MPs expressed their views.“As you are aware, Hon’ble parliamentary affairs minister Shri Kiren Rijiju has agreed, on behalf of the government, to a discussion in Parliament on the student movement concerning the NEET examination, during the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee,” Shah said.“I would also like to mention that even before the Opposition made this request, the Lok Sabha had already discussed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 during the ongoing session. However, none of the Hon’ble Opposition MPs expressed any views in the House regarding the NEET examination during that discussion. Despite this, the government is once again ready for a discussion on the issue,” he added.Shah said that solution emerge through discussion and dialogue and urged the Speaker to consult the leaders of the opposition and facilitate a discussion on the issue.“I request you to consult the Opposition and, through mutual consensus, kindly allocate as much time as you deem appropriate, for as many hours as considered suitable, starting today. I wish to remain present in the House during the allotted time, participate in the discussion on this issue, and am prepared to answer all questions raised by the opposition,” the letter reads.“In a democracy, solutions emerge through discussion and dialogue. I have unwavering faith in democracy and democratic institutions, and I believe that this House exists precisely for discussion and dialogue. Therefore, I urge you to consult the leaders of the opposition and facilitate a discussion on this important issue in a conducive atmosphere, so that all Hon’ble Members from both the treasury and Opposition benches can present their valuable views and opinions on the matter,” he added.Shah’s letter came amid opposition protests demanding, him to make a statement in Parliament on the alleged police brutality against student protesters on July 20.Earlier in the day, Shah offered to sit in the Parliament to hear the opposition’s concerns and respond to every point, amid protests over his “absence” from the Houses.Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, however rejected the offer saying they “seeks answers, not lectures.”“The opposition has clearly said that we are not interested in Amit Shah giving us a lecture. When I say ‘we’, I mean the younger generation of this country. Who shot the students? Who gave the order to beat up the students with lathis with nails? Did Amit Shah give this order to shoot our children? If he did, then he should resign. For the last 20 days, Amit Shah has been missing. The Home Minister of India has no courage; he cannot come to the House,” Rahul said.
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“Did home minister Shah give orders to shoot our children or not; if he did, he is culpable and if he did not, he is incompetent: Rahul Gandhi,” he added.Earlier in the day, opposition MPs, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, staged a protest in the Parliament House Complex over the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the alleged police excesses against student protesters.
