The issue of students' death echoed in the Parliament, slogans of 'You are responsible... You are responsible' were raised; BJP made serious allegations.

The issue of the death of three students in coaching due to waterlogging in Delhi echoed in both houses of Parliament on Monday. In Rajya Sabha, a short-term discussion was held on this by bringing an adjournment motion, while in Lok Sabha it was raised during Zero Hour. Everyone expressed grief over the death of the students, but when the matter of responsibility came up, the flow of party loyalty was visible even in the overflowing drains and dirty waterlogging.

Citing some complaints, BJP alleged that the officials including the local MLA of Aam Aadmi Party did not take cognizance of the complaints. The drains were not cleaned, due to which the incident happened. At the same time, the Aam Aadmi Party argued that the officials were under the influence of the Lieutenant Governor, and the drains were not cleaned even on the orders of the ministers of the government. At the same time, Congress was seen discussing in a very controlled manner. Instead of holding anyone responsible for the waterlogging, an attempt was made to blame the increasing coaching culture for the incident.

'The government did not pay heed'

Along with BJP members, Aam Aadmi Party MP Swati Maliwal was also among those who gave notice for adjournment of the proceedings in Rajya Sabha. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar accepted it. MP Sudhanshu Trivedi started the discussion from the BJP's side. He said that three students died, but those responsible did not have tears in their eyes, let alone a wrinkle on their forehead. He said that from 26 June to 22 July, complaints and reminders were given that the library of the said coaching institute was running illegally in the basement. Incidents can happen, but the government did not pay heed. Amidst this series of complaints, the building was given a fire NOC on 9 July.

'The central government is responsible, not the Delhi government'

The BJP MP alleged that the government is spending money on publicity and the Waqf Board instead of cleaning the drainage and drains. Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien raised the question of whether such discussions will be held on issues like Manipur, NEET, Chinese occupation. DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said the same thing. Supporting AAP, he said that since LG makes decisions, the Central Government, not the Delhi Government, is responsible. Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh said that the Central Government will regulate coaching and libraries. These institutes have been running for 25-30 years. He said that the Delhi Government does not have the right to transfer. Officials only listen to LG. Ministers kept telling the officers, but they did not listen to the matter of cleaning the drain.

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'AAP government is not working, it is enjoying power'

Congress member Randeep Surjewala also demanded similar discussions on NEET, China, Manipur, etc. He said that the BJP government has privatized and commercialized education. There is a lack of employment. The number of government schools has decreased. The posts of teachers are vacant in schools and colleges, so coaching institutes have increased. This is the reason why this incident has happened. At the same time, during the zero hour in Lok Sabha, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj raised this issue and said that the AAP government is not working, it is enjoying power. A committee should be formed to investigate the incident.

'Action should be taken against those responsible'

Congress' Shashi Tharoor raised the demand for compensation to the victim's families. Independent MP Pappu Yadav talked about conducting an impartial investigation, while Akhilesh Yadav also insisted that action should be taken against those responsible. The officials must have given the NOC. Will the bulldozer run on illegal buildings like in UP or not? Congress' KC Venugopal said that coaching operators are working like the mafia.

The law is clear for coaching, states will have to take responsibility.

The Chief Union Education Minister put forth his views on this discussion in both houses. He said that from 2017 till now, from time to time, guidelines have been sent to the states regarding the operation of coaching institutes. An advisory was sent in January this year. If it had been followed, this incident would not have happened. When questions were raised on coaching institutes, without naming anyone, he said that some people are still haunted by the ghost of Macaulayism. Pradhan said that the law for running coaching centers is clear. States will have to take responsibility. The government wants to improve education. A committee has been formed for this, all MPs should give suggestions to it. On the issue of NEET and paper leak, he counted incidents from non-BJP ruled states and said that the Modi government wants complete transparency and is ready to discuss every topic.