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Asked PM Modi to skip Lok Sabha after info on ‘unexpected’ act, says Speaker Om Birla
Om Birla made a startling allegation that he had credible information that many Congress MPs “might have caused some unexpected incidents.”
New Delhi : For the first time in 22 years, the Prime Minister could not reply in the Lok Sabha to the debate on the President’s speech, which was passed through a voice vote amid stifling disruptions in the Lower House on Thursday.
Hours later, Speaker Om Birla made a startling allegation that he had credible information that many Congress MPs “might have reached the PM’s seat and caused some unexpected incidents” when PM Narendra Modi was originally scheduled to speak on Wednesday – and ultimately did not.
“On Wednesday, some members of the House behaved in a manner that has never occurred since the inception of the Lok Sabha. The dignified position of the Speaker is enshrined in the Constitution. Historically, political differences had never been brought to the Speaker’s office. The behaviour of Opposition MPs in the Speaker’s office was not appropriate. It was a black mark. We all must cooperate in running the House smoothly,” Om Birla said after the President’s address was approved.
“When the Leader of the House (PM) was to reply to the address of the President, I received reliable information that several members of the Congress party might reach the seat of the Prime Minister and cause some unexpected incidents,” Birla said, adding that he had advised the PM not to come the next day.
His comments appeared to refer to some women MPs of the Congress who were seen standing in front of the PM’s seat and the aisle next to it during the protests on Wednesday. Bharatiya Janata Party lawmakers also voiced similar allegations.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra refuted the charges. “The PM is hiding behind the Speaker. Yesterday, he did not have the guts to come to the House because three women were standing before the bench. What nonsense is this? There is no discussion because the government doesn’t want discussion to happen.”
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi took a jib at the PM saying that he took refuge in lies. “Modi ji was so afraid of the truth, he took refuge in lies. However, he did what he felt was right,” Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
Another Opposition MP said on the condition of anonymity that a few women MPs stood near the PM’s seat for less than a minute and it could not have hindered the PM’s speech. Officials said that even as Modi was present in the Parliament building, Birla decided to adjourn the House when he saw Opposition MPs standing in front of the PM’s seat.
Congress’s media head Pawan Khera questioned Birla’s office. “Reports are being planted in the media from the Lok Sabha Speaker’s office claiming that the Congress party was planning to use women MPs to “attack” the PM yesterday. Are the Modi government and their subservient journalists trying to say that women are inherently violent? Is a protest by a woman considered terrorism?” he asked.
Telugu Desam Party lawmaker L Sri Krishna Devarayalu said, “Whatever has transpired yesterday in the house, not just the protest inside, but actually bringing posters, play cards, and huge posters, they’re trying to cover up the Speaker’s viewpoint. Whatever happened yesterday was very disappointing. I don’t think this is required inside the house.” Earlier in the day, the Lok Sabha approved the motion of thanks to the President’s address through a voice vote.
In 2004, then PM Manmohan Singh had barely started his speech when the BJP lawmakers protested the inclusion of allegedly tainted ministers in his Cabinet, preventing him from continuing. While Singh couldn’t reply, the debate on the President’s speech took place in 2004.
This year, only Union minister Sarbanand Sonwal, fellow BJP lawmaker Tejaswi Surya, and Telugu Desam Party’s Harish Balayogi could complete their speeches in the Lok Sabha. BJP’s Nishikant Dubey, who referred to books on Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and other Congress leaders, could not deliver his full speech as the House was adjourned on Wednesday.
The Congress and other Opposition parties continued to disrupt the Lower House on Thursday, demanding that LoP Rahul Gandhi be allowed to speak about former army chief General (retd) MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir.
Birla on Monday did not allow Gandhi to refer to an article about the book on India-China relations, referring to the rules. Senior ministers also opposed it. On Tuesday, eight Opposition lawmakers were suspended for the rest of the session, aggravating the logjam.
On Wednesday evening, Congress’s Jairam Ramesh had threatened that there would be no PM’s speech if the LoP is not allowed to speak. Opposition lawmakers repeatedly rushed to the Well of the House carrying banners and shouting slogans even as Birla urged them against making noise. “You have been in power for many years. You are free to oppose, but it must be done through words and debates and not noise.”
