Rajya Sabha introduces MMDR amendment bill amidst opposition ruckus

The Rajya Sabha witnessed continued disruptions by the opposition for the seventh consecutive day of the Parliament's monsoon session, resulting in no significant legislation or other business being transacted. Amidst the din and slogan-shouting, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was introduced at 2 pm, after which the House was adjourned for the day.

The Deputy Chairman, Harivansh, appealed to members to maintain order and invited Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Jitendra Ramesh, to introduce the Bill as per the day's list of business. Mr. Ramesh said amidst the din that amendments to the MSME Act, 2006, were necessary in line with the requirements of time, and this amendment Bill was being introduced in the House for that purpose.

The opposition's slogan-shouting and disruptions intensified from their seats. The Deputy Chairman allowed Mr. Ramesh to introduce the Bill through a voice vote. As the disruptions in the House escalated, the Deputy Chairman, looking at the opposition, said, "You don't want the House to function..." and then adjourned the proceedings till 11 am on Wednesday.

Today's list of business also included a proposed Bill to amend the National Honour Act to prevent insult. The "Vande Mataram Bill" was introduced by Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, during the current session, but due to continuous disruptions, no discussion has taken place on it yet.

Earlier, as soon as the House proceedings began this morning, the opposition started creating a ruckus. The opposition demanded a response from Home Minister Amit Shah on the police action against students and other protesters who were protesting against the NEET exam paper leak and marching towards Parliament. Due to this ruckus, the House proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm.

In the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, a heated debate took place between the ruling alliance and the opposition on the issue of paper leaks, education system, and the future of youth. The ruling party termed the 'Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026', as a stringent measure to bring transparency in the examination system and in the interest of youth, while the opposition said it was an attempt to cover up the government's failures, stating that the real issue was not the law but the government's intent and accountability.

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj participated in the debate, saying that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there has been an unprecedented expansion in the education sector, and students have become "exam warriors". She said that during the last 12 years, the number of medical colleges has doubled, the number of AIIMS has increased from 7 to 20, and there has been a 60% increase in the number of universities.

According to her, the Prime Minister guides students every year through the "Pariksha Pe Charcha" program, while systems like CUET have made the admission process to universities more transparent. Bansuri Swaraj alleged that during the Congress rule, question papers were leaked 22 times, and such incidents also occurred in Congress-ruled states. She said the Modi government has taken concrete steps to make exams transparent by setting up the National Testing Agency (NTA).

On the other hand, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee said that getting a transparent exam is the fundamental right of students, but just making a new law to prevent paper leaks is not enough. He said the government should first acknowledge that it has failed to prevent paper leaks. He alleged that the government changes the law after every failure.

He questioned how the government could monitor missiles but not prevent paper leaks. He said that in the last 12 years, many papers have been leaked, but the culprits have not been punished. He also accused the government of suppressing student movements through force and failing to provide better governance.

DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran said that in the last 12 years, several education ministers have changed, but the desired reforms in the education system have not taken place. According to him, paper leaks are a serious issue, which the government has not addressed in time, and the government is also not willing to listen to students and public representatives.