New Delhi, June 28 2024 – The Lok Sabha, India's lower house of Parliament, witnessed an uproar on Friday over the issue of a NEET question leak. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's microphone was allegedly turned off as he attempted to address the issue, sparking controversy and accusations from the opposition party.

During the session, Rahul Gandhi sought to speak about alleged corruption in the NEET examination process under the Narendra Modi government. A video clip shared by Congress on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) shows Gandhi requesting Speaker Om Birla to turn on his mic. Despite his appeal, Speaker Birla claimed that he had not issued any order to turn off the microphone.

The Congress party accused the government of deliberately silencing Gandhi to prevent him from raising the NEET question leak issue. They argued that this move was part of a broader pattern of suppressing opposition voices in Parliament. The Speaker, however, dismissed the demand for a debate on the NEET question leak, stating that the discussion should focus on the President's speech and that other matters would not be recorded in the House. The session was subsequently adjourned until Monday amid the uproar.

In March of the previous year, Rahul Gandhi had attended a discussion with members of the House of Commons in the UK, where he commented on similar issues of microphone silencing in the Indian Parliament. The BJP labeled Gandhi's remarks as an insult to the country, while Congress countered that the Modi government has repeatedly prevented discussions on critical issues like demonetisation, GST, and Chinese aggression by silencing opposition microphones.

Rahul Gandhi emphasized that the opposition sought a united message from the government and the opposition to the youth of India regarding the NEET issue. He accused the Modi government of not wanting such a message and of conspiring to suppress the voices of the youth by turning off his microphone.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is a critical examination for students aspiring to enter the medical profession in India after completing their 12th standard. The controversy surrounding the alleged question leak has heightened tensions and drawn significant attention to the integrity of the examination process.