Opposition to take on Centre in Parliament over NTA's credibility

New Delhi: At a time the I.N.D.I.A. bloc has intensified its protest on NEET issue, the Opposition’s first amendment to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in Lok Sabha will be on the “loss of credibility” of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and conducting tests, including the medical entrance test.

RSP MP NK Premachandran’s amendment on NEET has been listed as the first one to be moved in Lok Sabha. His amendment “regrets” that there is no mention about the “loss of credibility” of the NTA and steps taken for investigating the matter and establishing an effective system for conducting tests, including the controversial NEET.

At least 13 amendments, including nine in Lok Sabha, on NTA, NEET and paper leaks have been submitted by Opposition MPs, which also include Saugata Roy, KC Venugopal, Gaurav Gogoi, Benny Behenan, Anand Bhadauria, D Vaiko, Shafi Parambil, Elamaram Kareem, D Sivadasan, John Brittas, Jebi Mather and M Abdullah.

Altogether 323 amendments – 215 in Lok Sabha and 108 in Rajya Sabha – have been submitted by 50 MPs for tabling when the voting takes place. The MPs have filed amendments on a variety of subjects like price rise, unemployment, filling vacancies of SCs, STs and OBCs in central government, private sector quota, farmers issues and Manipur violence.

Amendments on a country-wide caste census, the issues with the Agnipath scheme, Chinese incursions, terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir, rewriting history and textbooks, Old Pension Scheme, misuse of central investigating agencies, special status for Bihar, Scheme Workers, MGNREGA wages and GST have also been submitted.

One of the three amendments to be moved by senior Congress MP Manish Tewari included one on the “haste” in which the three new criminal laws are being implemented from July 1 and the need to “stop” it.

Investors shifting industrial ventures from Maharashtra to Gujarat has found mention in Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant’s amendment in which he wanted the motion to include "regret" in the President not mentioning the need for global investors to play an equitable role in development of all states.

CPI(ML)L MP Raja Ram Singh wants the motion to add a regret about the President not mentioning about death due to heatwave in north India while Muslim League MP ET Mohd Basheer has submitted an amendment on "recasting of textbooks in accordance with the basic principle of secularism".

Congress’ Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader Pramod Tiwari had submitted amendments about the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence and heatwave deaths among other things. RJD’s AD Singh mention the suicides of students studying in coaching centres in Kota while DMK’s Tiruchi Siva also submitted an amendment on non-affordability of coaching centres.

One of RJD MP Manoj K Jha’s amendments was about the President’s address not mentioning about the “government’s failure” to implement the Women’s Reservation Act for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.