New Delhi: A fresh wave of disruptions swept through the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, marking the third day of the Monsoon session, as an opposition front led by Congress President and Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge staged a fierce protest. The lawmakers demanded the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examinations and subsequent police action against protesting students.

Asserting that parliamentary proceedings would be halted until their demands were met, Kharge said, "For fair discussion on NEET, there will be no debate until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns."

The government, however, maintained it was willing to debate the issue. Leader of the House and Union Minister JP Nadda condemned the opposition's actions, stating, "The INDI Alliance's conduct is very irresponsible. We can clearly see this anti-democratic conduct in the Parliament. Parliamentary decorum is being shredded, and democratic values are being violated. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has said very clearly just now that the Govt is ready to discuss all issues. Besides this, our Govt is ready to also discuss the NEET paper leak and all matters related to it. Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, ours is a transparent Govt. It is a Govt which always rules in the favour of the people. So, we strongly condemn their (Opposition's) anti-people activities. They do not believe in democracy or democratic values."

The uproar led to the adjournment of Rajya Sabha proceedings until 3 p.m. Earlier in the day, opposition MPs, including the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, gathered in the Parliament premises wearing black clothes to register their dissent.

Speaking to reporters, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the government of deliberately stalling a debate on the issue. "We are demanding an adjournment motion so that a proper discussion can take place. If you can discuss Vande Mataram for eight hours, then you can also properly discuss this issue under an adjournment motion for a longer duration. The government is always playing games," she said.

She further championed the students' cause, stating, "The Education budget is Rs 1.4 lakh crores, but you are waving off Rs 16 lakh crore loans for Adani and Ambani. Students have a genuine struggle and are asking for change. Paper leaks are happening repeatedly. There is nothing undemocratic with peaceful protest, but what is happening with students and in Parliament is undemocratic."

Kharge also heavily criticised the detention of Congress leaders by police during a protest outside the Prime Minister's residence on Tuesday. "I said yesterday itself that this is not a democratic govt. They are functioning like dictatorship. They do not respect MPs. They harass even those who protest as per rules. BJP-RSS volunteers work among Police without badges. Terrorising students and Congress leaders is what they do indirectly...If you try to crush our senior leaders, lakhs of people will stand up. You will not be able to control them then. We are not going to be scared; we will continue to fight. You will regret what you did to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi... We will show them that Congress party and INDIA bloc will continue to fight," he said.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sagarika Ghose directed a scathing attack at the Centre regarding the use of force against student activists. "It is shameful that the Modi government is using tear gas against students. The youth are protesting because examination papers have leaked and 20 students have died by suicide. What kind of government are you? When farmers were protesting, you tear-gassed them as well and called them 'Khalistanis.' When women wrestlers were protesting, you did not have a dialogue with them. What is the Modi government scared of--the youth, women wrestlers, farmers? You should talk to the youth openly. The entire Opposition is united to raise our voice and say that violence cannot be used against students. Why isn't Dharmendra Pradhan resigning? This issue will not be resolved by using tear gas and lathis, but through dialogue. The way tear gas was used against students shows that you are a failed government," Ghose said.

Several Congress MPs echoed these sentiments, explaining their decision to wear black. Rajeev Shukla stated, "The atrocities that happened yesterday, the atrocities that were committed against students the day before yesterday, the subsequent atrocities that the police are committing, and the ongoing protests regarding the NEET exam are being protested today by wearing black clothes." Gaddam Vamsi Krishna added, "Yesterday, we held a protest at PM Modi's residence because students were beaten up. At our protest, Congress MPs were arrested."

Imran Pratapgarhi questioned the Prime Minister's defence of Pradhan. "We have come wearing black clothes to protest the government's evil deeds, and today the entire Opposition came wearing black clothes. Because the way the students of this country were lathi-charged at the very gates of Parliament, nothing could be more shameful for democracy than this. These are the dark deeds of the government that we stand against. Yesterday, when Rahul Gandhi stood on the doorstep outside the Prime Minister's residence, demanded the resignation of the Education Minister, and made five demands, the government completely backed down. Why does the Prime Minister want to save Dharmendra Pradhan? Is he more dear to the Prime Minister than the students of this country?" Pratapgarhi asked.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh revealed that multiple opposition parties had submitted a notice under Rule 267, seeking to suspend listed business for an immediate discussion. Taking to X, Ramesh highlighted that the notice addressed the alleged use of "excessive force"—including lathi-charges, tear gas, pellet guns, shock batons, and water cannons—against peaceful protesters on July 20, as well as the manhandling of Rahul Gandhi and others on July 21. It also questioned the "silence" of the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister.

"The impasse in the Rajya Sabha is entirely because of the continued refusal of the Government to have this discussion under Rule 267," Ramesh wrote. Rule 267 allows the suspension of specific rules for urgent matters, while Rule 176 limits discussions to short durations.

Support for the protests extended across opposition lines. Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav noted, "The government doesn't want to hear anything. The House gets adjourned at 11:01 AM, 12:01 PM, and 2:01 PM. The Samajwadi Party extended full support to the protest led by Rahul Gandhi, and our leaders were also arrested." Purnea MP Pappu Yadav similarly alleged, "You use batons and bullets on children, and even after NEET, question papers continue to leak in Mumbai, Rajasthan, and Punjab... You won't let the Leader of the Opposition speak. You have the money to buy MLAs and MPs, but you cannot buy the people of this country or the coming generation."

In the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju urged the opposition to help frame an agenda rather than disrupt proceedings. "For three days, the government has formally offered to hold discussions. The government is ready to discuss the NEET paper leak issue. The discussion will happen based on the rules, including its duration. A meeting with floor leaders of all parties should take place to decide when and how the discussion will be conducted," he said.

Speaking to reporters, Rijiju added, "From Day 1, we have informed opposition leaders, the Speaker, and the Rajya Sabha Chairman that the government is ready to discuss the NEET paper leak and all linked issues. But the specific rule under which this discussion takes place needs to be decided. A positive discussion should take place through established systems. The steps taken by the government on this issue should also be brought before the public. If we don't discuss it, how will the public know what action the government has taken? We have formally stated again that there should be no delay on this issue."

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla reiterated the invitation to finalise an agenda, but continued uproar forced the Lower House to adjourn until 2 p.m. Congress MP K.C. Venugopal clarified the opposition's stance: "Today morning, we held discussions with opposition parties. We decided very clearly--for the last three days--that we are continuously moving adjournment motions on the NEET-CBSE exam leak issue, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and a proper action plan to stop future leaks."

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor condemned the handling of the national capital protests, calling the situation a "death of democracy." Noting the politics surrounding the issue, Tharoor said, "This (black-coloured clothes) is protest and mourning as we can witness the death of democracy. Look, the fact is, politics has come into it. Obviously politics also comes into it. But the real issue is the feelings of the students; they're the future of the country. If they're feeling betrayed and let down, there ought to be some opportunity to reach out to them. I'm really surprised that the government has allowed matters to get out of hand like this and greeted the students with violence and lathis. That was really a bad idea."

Tharoor recounted his meetings with injured students. "A young man who was distributing water to the protesters was beaten up with lathis under the eye, on the head. A young girl was talking about being manhandled by male policemen. And these are very painful things. Many of them saw some fellows in plain clothes with sticks that had nails or screws hammered in them. This was quite shocking for them as well," he noted.

He also questioned the security measures that led to significant transit disruptions across the city. "Who's threatening the Metro? I don't understand the logic of shutting down the city. They're creating a whole atmosphere that does not need to be created. I don't understand what the problem is," Tharoor said.

Due to the protests, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced the temporary closure of 16 metro stations to maintain security. The affected stations included Lok Kalyan Marg, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Ramakrishna Ashram Marg, Barakhambha Road, Supreme Court, Seva Teerth, Janpath, Mandi House, Central Secretariat, ITO, Delhi Gate, Indraprastha, Khan Market, Jor Bagh, and Shivaji Stadium. Switching options remained accessible at major transit nodes.