Opposition rakes up Kanwar Yatra row, NEET paper leak at all-party meet

In Short

• All-party meeting chaired by Rajnath Singh ahead of Parliament's Monsoon Session
• Kanwar Yatra, NEET paper leak, Deputy Speaker's post discussed in meeting
• Issue of UP government's directive to eateries on Kanwar Yatra route raised

Kanwar Yatra, NEET paper leak, and the post of Deputy Speaker in Lok Sabha were among the issues raised at the all-party meeting convened on Sunday by the government ahead of Parliament's Monsoon Session, sources said.

The meeting, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, saw JP Nadda and Kiren Rijiju in attendance from the BJP. From the Congress, Gaurav Gogoi, Jairam Ramesh and K Suresh were present. Others present at the meeting included LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan, Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav, Aam Aadmi Party's Sanjay Singh, Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM, and Nationalist Congress Party's Praful Patel.

Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress sought the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker's position for the Opposition, saying the post "should not be vacant".

The demand for special category status was also raised at the meeting. The Janata Dal (United) and LJP (Ram Vilas), allies of the BJP, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, raised the demand for Bihar. Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP also demanded special category status for Andhra Pradesh.

Jairam Ramesh took a dig at Telugu Desam Party (TDP), another BJP ally, for not raising a similar demand for Andhra Pradesh. "In today's all-party meeting of floor leaders chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the JD(U) leader demanded special category status of Bihar. The YSRCP leader demanded special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Strangely, the TDP leader kept quiet on the matter," he said in a post on X.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament begins on July 22, Monday. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on July 23, Tuesday.

The Opposition is set to corner the NDA government on issues ranging from the NEET paper leak case to railway safety.