Morning Filter: NEET issue to be raised in Parliament, say opposition MPs

NEET issue to be raised in Parliament, say opposition MPs Amid a row over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, opposition MPs said on the first day of the 18th Lok Sabha that the government will have to answer on the controversy in Parliament. Several newly-elected members who took oath in the Lok Sabha on Monday said the government is not considering the hardship of students who are feeling stuck in limbo. The credibility of the examination system has also come under question, they said. As Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan proceeded to take his oath, members of the opposition raised “NEET, NEET” slogans, as the controversy over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, including the medical entrance exam National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) and the the University Grants Commission–National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) continues to rage. Lok Sabha Speaker election: BJP begins consultations, Opposition weighs options The BJP has begun consultations with its allies on the ruling NDA’s candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker’s post while the opposition INDIA bloc is considering its options and may force a contest to score political points, sources said on Monday, a day before the filing of nomination for the key position. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which enjoys a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, gave little indication about its choice as it weighs its options and looks to deny the opposition any opportunity to mount a political attack. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and Union minister K Rammohan Naidu told reporters that the alliance’s leaders, including his party’s president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, will take a decision on the matter, adding that no final decision has been conveyed to them yet. A leader of another BJP ally said on the condition of anonymity that the BJP leadership has held consultations with him. He declined to discuss the details. HC to pass order on Tuesday on ED’s plea for stay on Kejriwal’s bail The Delhi High Court will on Tuesday pronounce its verdict on a plea by the Enforcement Directorate seeking a stay on the trial court order granting bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case stemming from the alleged excise scam. The order is scheduled to be pronounced at 2:30 p.m. A vacation bench of Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain had reserved the order on June 21 after the agency challenged the trial court’s decision and put it in abeyance until the pronouncement. The AAP national convenor, who was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), could have walked out of Tihar jail had the high court not granted the interim relief to the central anti-money laundering agency. Curfew to continue in Balasore town till Tuesday night The district administration of Odisha’s Balasore on Monday said curfew with relaxation periods will continue in the town’s municipality areas until Tuesday night. The district administration said curfew will be relaxed from 5 am to 5 pm in Town Police station areas, while in Sahadevkhunta police station area, the relaxation will extend from 5 am to 9 pm on Tuesday. Curfew was initially imposed on Monday (June 17) night following a group clash that resulted in several injuries. “Sharing of incendiary messages, fake information, misinformation with malicious intent is considered an offence,” Balasore SP posted on ‘X’, urging the public to remain vigilant. BJP to launch programme against 1975 Emergency to ‘expose authoritarianism’ of Congress The BJP said it will launch a nationwide programme on the 1975 Emergency to “expose” the Congress’ “authoritarianism” and its disregard for the Constitution. BJP president JP Nadda will address the main event, titled “Dark Days of Democracy”, at its headquarters on Tuesday, the party’s chief spokesperson Anil Baluni said in a statement. According to Article 352 of the Constitution, the president can proclaim an Emergency if there is a grave threat to the security of the country -- whether by war or external aggression or armed rebellion. Baluni said, “The Emergency stands as an unforgettable dark chapter in India’s robust democracy. The then-prime minister Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency on the nation on June 25, 1975, marking a severe curtailment of democratic freedoms.” Over the next 21 months, the then-Congress government held the country’s democracy and the Constitution “captive, unleashing countless atrocities on the people, media and opposition leaders”, he said. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister arrives in Nepal to attend high-level meeting China’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong arrived in Kathmandu on Monday on a three-day official visit during which he will meet the country’s top leadership and attend the 16th Meeting of Nepal-China Diplomatic Consultation Mechanism. Krishna Prasad Dhakal, Joint Secretary and Head of the North East Asia Division of the Foreign Ministry, welcomed the Chinese Vice Minister upon his arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport here. The 16th meeting of the Nepal-China Diplomatic Consultation Mechanism will take place in the capital on Tuesday, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Parliament session: INDIA bloc’s show of strength in Parliament, raise call to ‘save Constitution’ INDIA bloc MPs gathered in the Parliament complex on Monday in a show of strength on the first day of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, holding copies of the Constitution and raising slogans on “saving democracy”. Opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress’ Sudip Bandyopadhyay, DMK’s TR Baalu, among others assembled at the spot where the Gandhi statue once stood in the Parliament complex. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi also joined the MPs. Holding copies of the Constitution in their hands, they raised slogans such as “long live Constitution”, “we will save Constitution”, “save our democracy”. PM Modi’s remarks on Emergency bring back memories of civil rights suspension Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took a swipe at the Congress over the imposition of Emergency in 1975, calling it a “black spot” on democracy when the Constitution was “discarded”. It brought back memories of the 21-month period when the then prime minister Indira Gandhi ordered a crackdown on civil liberties. Gandhi made the announcement of imposition of Emergency in a broadcast on All India Radio on late night on June 25, 1975, shortly after the Supreme Court granted a conditional stay on the Allahabad High Court verdict declaring her election to the Lok Sabha as null and void. The apex court asked Gandhi to stay away from parliamentary proceedings. “The President has proclaimed Emergency. There is nothing to panic about. I am sure you are all aware of the deep and widespread conspiracy, which has been brewing ever since I began to introduce certain progressive measures of benefit for the common man and woman in India,” Gandhi said in her midnight address to the nation that set off a series of arrests of opposition leaders. NEET corruption linked with elections, education minister will have to resign: RJD’s Manoj Jha RJD MP Manoj Jha claimed on Monday that the “NEET corruption” is linked with elections and alleged proximity between those named for paper leaks and leaders of the JD(U) and BJP. At a press conference here, the Rajya Sabha MP of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) expressed solidarity with the protesting students and accused Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of playing with their future. “Where is Dharmendra Pradhanji, who gave a clean chit to this exam? You are playing with the future of students,” Jha said. “Despite everything, the education minister gave a clean chit and manufactured a story that they are forming a high-powered committee. There is enough evidence, yet no action is being taken against the culprits,” he added. FinMin to meet CEOs of PSBs on Tuesday, review progress of financial inclusion schemes The finance ministry has called a meeting of heads of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) on Tuesday to review progress of various financial inclusion schemes, including PM Vishwakarma, Jan Suraksha and Mudra Yojana. The meeting is scheduled to be chaired by Financial Services Secretary Vivek Joshi. According to sources, the meeting would review the progress of various flagship schemes, including PM Vishwakarma, StandUp India, PM SVANidhi, among others. Other financial inclusion related issues would also be discussed in the meeting, sources said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September last year launched PM Vishwakarma scheme under which traditional craftsmen and artisans will be provided loan assistance at a minimal interest rate without the need for collateral. 10th spectrum auction to begin on Jun 25; Jio potential top bidder Spectrum worth over Rs 96,000 crore will be on the block as auctions across eight bands will begin on Tuesday, with telecom operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea vying for radio waves crucial for 5G mobile services. The last spectrum auction was held in August 2022, which, for the first time, included radio waves for 5G services. The government will auction eight spectrum bands for mobile phone services at a base price of about Rs 96,317 crore. All the available spectrum in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands are part of the 10th auction. T20 World Cup 2024: Afghans to hope for Indian win before clash against Bangladesh Afghanistan will watch the India-Australia clash with bated breath, hoping that the ‘Men in Blue’ stand on the winning side -- a result which will hand them a golden opportunity to qualify for the T20 World Cup semifinals when they take on Bangladesh in their Super Eights match. Afghanistan augmented their chances of making their first-ever World Cup semifinal when they down the mighty Australian on Saturday. As things stand, India lead the group followed by Australia and Afghanistan -- both on 2 points each -- and Bangladesh are last. Rohit Sharma and his men are favourites to qualify for the final-four with a net run rate of 2.425 while Australia (0.223) have superior NRR compared to Afghanistan (-0.650). Rashid Khan and Co. will hope India do them a favour by beating Australia so that they enter the clash knowing exactly what they require to do for making the semifinals. Second seeds Treesa-Gayatri to spearhead Indian challenge at US Open badminton Commonwealth Games bronze medal-winning pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will carry India’s medal hopes in the absence of Paris Olympics-bound shuttlers in the US Open BWF World Tour, beginning here on Tuesday. The world No. 24 Indian pair, who finished runner-up in Singapore Open Super 750 in May-June, is seeded second in the women’s doubles draw of the Super 300 tournament. Treesa and Gayatri have got a bye into round of 16 where they will face unseeded pair of Hseih Pei Shan and Hung En-Tzu of Chinese Taipei. At the other end of the draw would be world No. 10 Japanese pair of Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi, who are the top seeds. Euro 2024: Dutch fans to brighten up Berlin as Oranje face Austria in last group game The Netherlands needs a point from its final group game Tuesday against Austria to be sure of reaching the knockout stage of the European Championship, while Austria needs a win. The Dutch team has been supported by tens of thousands of orange-clad fans in Hamburg and Leipzig for its two games so far, and now they take their bright party to Berlin, where the final will be played next month. Perhaps a rehearsal? Here’s what to know about the match: Match facts — Both the Netherlands and France have four points in Group D, one ahead of Austria, while Poland has no points and was the first team eliminated. France is playing Poland in their final group game at the same time. Denmark takes on Serbia in final match of a wide-open group at Euro 2024 Denmark faces Serbia on Tuesday in Munich in their final Group C match. Both teams hope it’s not their last game at the European Championship. Denmark is currently second in the group, two points below England and level on points with third-place Slovenia. Serbia is last but has only one less point than Denmark and Slovenia. Here’s what to know about the match: Match facts — Denmark would advance to the round of 16 with a win and would be eliminated if it loses and Slovenia avoids defeat against England. [morning filter logo] The Morning Filter 25 June 2024 [morning filter logo] The Morning Filter 25 June 2024 Welcome to the Morning Filter newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories and events to follow today. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Here are the latest news and big news stories to follow today NEET issue to be raised in Parliament, say opposition MPs Amid a row over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, opposition MPs said on the first day of the 18th Lok Sabha that the government will have to answer on the controversy in Parliament. Several newly-elected members who took oath in the Lok Sabha on Monday said the government is not considering the hardship of students who are feeling stuck in limbo. The credibility of the examination system has also come under question, they said. As Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan proceeded to take his oath, members of the opposition raised “NEET, NEET” slogans, as the controversy over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, including the medical entrance exam National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) and the the University Grants Commission–National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) continues to rage. Lok Sabha Speaker election: BJP begins consultations, Opposition weighs options The BJP has begun consultations with its allies on the ruling NDA’s candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker’s post while the opposition INDIA bloc is considering its options and may force a contest to score political points, sources said on Monday, a day before the filing of nomination for the key position. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which enjoys a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, gave little indication about its choice as it weighs its options and looks to deny the opposition any opportunity to mount a political attack. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and Union minister K Rammohan Naidu told reporters that the alliance’s leaders, including his party’s president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, will take a decision on the matter, adding that no final decision has been conveyed to them yet. A leader of another BJP ally said on the condition of anonymity that the BJP leadership has held consultations with him. He declined to discuss the details. HC to pass order on Tuesday on ED’s plea for stay on Kejriwal’s bail The Delhi High Court will on Tuesday pronounce its verdict on a plea by the Enforcement Directorate seeking a stay on the trial court order granting bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case stemming from the alleged excise scam. The order is scheduled to be pronounced at 2:30 p.m. A vacation bench of Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain had reserved the order on June 21 after the agency challenged the trial court’s decision and put it in abeyance until the pronouncement. The AAP national convenor, who was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), could have walked out of Tihar jail had the high court not granted the interim relief to the central anti-money laundering agency. Curfew to continue in Balasore town till Tuesday night The district administration of Odisha’s Balasore on Monday said curfew with relaxation periods will continue in the town’s municipality areas until Tuesday night. The district administration said curfew will be relaxed from 5 am to 5 pm in Town Police station areas, while in Sahadevkhunta police station area, the relaxation will extend from 5 am to 9 pm on Tuesday. Curfew was initially imposed on Monday (June 17) night following a group clash that resulted in several injuries. “Sharing of incendiary messages, fake information, misinformation with malicious intent is considered an offence,” Balasore SP posted on ‘X’, urging the public to remain vigilant. BJP to launch programme against 1975 Emergency to ‘expose authoritarianism’ of Congress The BJP said it will launch a nationwide programme on the 1975 Emergency to “expose” the Congress’ “authoritarianism” and its disregard for the Constitution. BJP president JP Nadda will address the main event, titled “Dark Days of Democracy”, at its headquarters on Tuesday, the party’s chief spokesperson Anil Baluni said in a statement. According to Article 352 of the Constitution, the president can proclaim an Emergency if there is a grave threat to the security of the country -- whether by war or external aggression or armed rebellion. Baluni said, “The Emergency stands as an unforgettable dark chapter in India’s robust democracy. The then-prime minister Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency on the nation on June 25, 1975, marking a severe curtailment of democratic freedoms.” Over the next 21 months, the then-Congress government held the country’s democracy and the Constitution “captive, unleashing countless atrocities on the people, media and opposition leaders”, he said. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister arrives in Nepal to attend high-level meeting China’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong arrived in Kathmandu on Monday on a three-day official visit during which he will meet the country’s top leadership and attend the 16th Meeting of Nepal-China Diplomatic Consultation Mechanism. Krishna Prasad Dhakal, Joint Secretary and Head of the North East Asia Division of the Foreign Ministry, welcomed the Chinese Vice Minister upon his arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport here. The 16th meeting of the Nepal-China Diplomatic Consultation Mechanism will take place in the capital on Tuesday, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Parliament session: INDIA bloc’s show of strength in Parliament, raise call to ‘save Constitution’ INDIA bloc MPs gathered in the Parliament complex on Monday in a show of strength on the first day of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, holding copies of the Constitution and raising slogans on “saving democracy”. Opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress’ Sudip Bandyopadhyay, DMK’s TR Baalu, among others assembled at the spot where the Gandhi statue once stood in the Parliament complex. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi also joined the MPs. Holding copies of the Constitution in their hands, they raised slogans such as “long live Constitution”, “we will save Constitution”, “save our democracy”. PM Modi’s remarks on Emergency bring back memories of civil rights suspension Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took a swipe at the Congress over the imposition of Emergency in 1975, calling it a “black spot” on democracy when the Constitution was “discarded”. It brought back memories of the 21-month period when the then prime minister Indira Gandhi ordered a crackdown on civil liberties. Gandhi made the announcement of imposition of Emergency in a broadcast on All India Radio on late night on June 25, 1975, shortly after the Supreme Court granted a conditional stay on the Allahabad High Court verdict declaring her election to the Lok Sabha as null and void. The apex court asked Gandhi to stay away from parliamentary proceedings. “The President has proclaimed Emergency. There is nothing to panic about. I am sure you are all aware of the deep and widespread conspiracy, which has been brewing ever since I began to introduce certain progressive measures of benefit for the common man and woman in India,” Gandhi said in her midnight address to the nation that set off a series of arrests of opposition leaders. NEET corruption linked with elections, education minister will have to resign: RJD’s Manoj Jha RJD MP Manoj Jha claimed on Monday that the “NEET corruption” is linked with elections and alleged proximity between those named for paper leaks and leaders of the JD(U) and BJP. At a press conference here, the Rajya Sabha MP of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) expressed solidarity with the protesting students and accused Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of playing with their future. “Where is Dharmendra Pradhanji, who gave a clean chit to this exam? You are playing with the future of students,” Jha said. “Despite everything, the education minister gave a clean chit and manufactured a story that they are forming a high-powered committee. There is enough evidence, yet no action is being taken against the culprits,” he added. FinMin to meet CEOs of PSBs on Tuesday, review progress of financial inclusion schemes The finance ministry has called a meeting of heads of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) on Tuesday to review progress of various financial inclusion schemes, including PM Vishwakarma, Jan Suraksha and Mudra Yojana. The meeting is scheduled to be chaired by Financial Services Secretary Vivek Joshi. According to sources, the meeting would review the progress of various flagship schemes, including PM Vishwakarma, StandUp India, PM SVANidhi , among others. Other financial inclusion related issues would also be discussed in the meeting, sources said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September last year launched PM Vishwakarma scheme under which traditional craftsmen and artisans will be provided loan assistance at a minimal interest rate without the need for collateral. 10th spectrum auction to begin on Jun 25; Jio potential top bidder Spectrum worth over Rs 96,000 crore will be on the block as auctions across eight bands will begin on Tuesday, with telecom operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea vying for radio waves crucial for 5G mobile services. The last spectrum auction was held in August 2022, which, for the first time, included radio waves for 5G services. The government will auction eight spectrum bands for mobile phone services at a base price of about Rs 96,317 crore. All the available spectrum in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands are part of the 10th auction. T20 World Cup 2024: Afghans to hope for Indian win before clash against Bangladesh Afghanistan will watch the India-Australia clash with bated breath, hoping that the ‘Men in Blue’ stand on the winning side -- a result which will hand them a golden opportunity to qualify for the T20 World Cup semifinals when they take on Bangladesh in their Super Eights match. Afghanistan augmented their chances of making their first-ever World Cup semifinal when they down the mighty Australian on Saturday. As things stand, India lead the group followed by Australia and Afghanistan -- both on 2 points each -- and Bangladesh are last. Rohit Sharma and his men are favourites to qualify for the final-four with a net run rate of 2.425 while Australia (0.223) have superior NRR compared to Afghanistan (-0.650). Rashid Khan and Co. will hope India do them a favour by beating Australia so that they enter the clash knowing exactly what they require to do for making the semifinals. Second seeds Treesa-Gayatri to spearhead Indian challenge at US Open badminton Commonwealth Games bronze medal-winning pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will carry India’s medal hopes in the absence of Paris Olympics-bound shuttlers in the US Open BWF World Tour, beginning here on Tuesday. The world No. 24 Indian pair, who finished runner-up in Singapore Open Super 750 in May-June, is seeded second in the women’s doubles draw of the Super 300 tournament. Treesa and Gayatri have got a bye into round of 16 where they will face unseeded pair of Hseih Pei Shan and Hung En-Tzu of Chinese Taipei. At the other end of the draw would be world No. 10 Japanese pair of Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi, who are the top seeds. Euro 2024: Dutch fans to brighten up Berlin as Oranje face Austria in last group game The Netherlands needs a point from its final group game Tuesday against Austria to be sure of reaching the knockout stage of the European Championship, while Austria needs a win. The Dutch team has been supported by tens of thousands of orange-clad fans in Hamburg and Leipzig for its two games so far, and now they take their bright party to Berlin, where the final will be played next month. Perhaps a rehearsal? Here’s what to know about the match: Match facts — Both the Netherlands and France have four points in Group D, one ahead of Austria, while Poland has no points and was the first team eliminated. France is playing Poland in their final group game at the same time. Denmark takes on Serbia in final match of a wide-open group at Euro 2024 Denmark faces Serbia on Tuesday in Munich in their final Group C match. Both teams hope it’s not their last game at the European Championship. Denmark is currently second in the group, two points below England and level on points with third-place Slovenia. Serbia is last but has only one less point than Denmark and Slovenia. Here’s what to know about the match: Match facts — Denmark would advance to the round of 16 with a win and would be eliminated if it loses and Slovenia avoids defeat against England. Today’s Best Reads [[Should we pre-judge? SC wonders as Kejriwal asks ‘why am I not free’] Should we pre-judge? SC wonders as Kejriwal asks ‘why am I not free’]( [[NEET paper leak: four including 2 teachers booked in Maharashtra] NEET paper leak: four including 2 teachers booked in Maharashtra]( [[Kin of Indians stuck in Russia’s warzone take their fight to New Delhi] Kin of Indians stuck in Russia’s warzone take their fight to New Delhi]( [[No talks on Teesta water sharing without involvement of Bengal Government, says Mamata Banerjee] No talks on Teesta water sharing without involvement of Bengal Government, says Mamata Banerjee]( Copyright© 2024, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( Manage your newsletter subscription preferences [here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](