- Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House to prevent chaos and cancelled PM's reply to President's address
- Opposition MPs protested, with women MPs surrounding PM's seat holding a banner during the session
- Congress denied attack claims, accusing PM Modi of avoiding parliament and hiding behind the Speaker
A fresh political flashpoint has emerged over opposition MPs surrounding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's seat during protests in the Lok Sabha yesterday. There was information that Opposition MPs could do "something unexpected," Speaker Om Birla added, asserting that he adjourned the House to prevent unpleasant scenes in the temple of democracy.
This is why, sources said, the PM's reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President's address was cancelled.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra snubbed the claim as "absolute lies."
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Her party had been on a warpath since her brother and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to quote from an unpublished memoir of former Army chief General MM Naravane (retired) in Lok Sabha. The book, Gandhi claimed, exposes how the army was deserted by the political leadership to handle the 2020 China border crisis.
The 5 PM Chaos
As the clock struck 5 pm yesterday, most members waited for the PM to arrive and start his speech. But as protests continued, about eight or nine women MPs from the opposition camp gheraoed the PM's seat in the Lok Sabha. Geniben Thakor, Varsha Gaikwad, Jyotimati, R Sudha, K Kavya, and Shobha Bachhav are among those MPs, sources said.
The women MPs held a banner that read: "Do what is right." The siege ended after some ministers requested them to leave.
Speaking in Lok Sabha today, Birla described the opposition MPs' behaviour as a "black spot" and "inappropriate for parliamentary traditions."
Read: No PM Speech And A Congress Message Behind Parliament Showdown
"When the Leader of the House (Modi) had to reply to the Honourable President's address, I received solid information that several members of the Congress party could reach the seat of the Hon'ble Prime Minister might try something unexpected. I even saw this scene in the House," he said, recalling yesterday's chaos.
In prompt action, the Speaker requested the PM to not come to Lok Sabha, fearing that the chaos could lead to ugly scenes within parliament. "If an incident had happened, it would have been a very unpleasant scene that would have torn apart the democratic traditions of the country. To avoid this, I requested the Prime Minister to skip coming to the House," he added.
The House was eventually adjourned, and the PM's speech was cancelled.
The decision was taken in view of the PM's safety, government sources told NDTV, adding that the women MPs were sent as a cover measure as part of the planned attack.
The Motion of Thanks was eventually passed this afternoon amid loud sloganeering by Opposition members.
'Absolutely Wrong'
The Congress trashed the attack charges and claimed that the Prime Minister was hiding behind the Speaker.
Priyanka Gandhi said, "There is no question of anybody raising hands on the PM, trying to hurt him, or any such thing. It is absolutely wrong for anybody to say that there was any such plan. The PM is now hiding behind the Speaker. They are making the Speaker say all this because yesterday he didn't have the guts to come in the House."
Read: Women MPs Surrounded PM's Seat: Inside Story Of Lok Sabha Chaos
Another party spokesperson, Atul Londhe Patil, claimed that the PM was scared of facing the parliament. "The truth is that he is scared of reality. That Naravane has become the 'daravane' (scary) is the main reason. That is why the PM doesn't want to face the parliament. Asking questions is not assault. He (the PM) is avoiding questions," he told NDTV.
DMK spokesperson A Saravanan also backed ally Congress. "I think the BJP ecosystem and the prime minister are rattled by the kind of coverage that Mr Rahul Gandhi's statements have received," he said.
The BJP, meanwhile, condemned planned violence and said the Congress has exposed its true face, "which is anti-India and pro-violence." "This is how the Naxals used to behave. Under the garb of democracy, they used to practice every anti-democratic act. If Congress MPs thought about this, then this is dangerous," said BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari.
PM To Speak In Rajya Sabha
The PM will speak in Rajya Sabha this evening. With opposition protests still raging in parliament, the BJP is trying to ensure that his Rajya Sabha entry is uneventful, sources suggest. BJP MPs will be present to ensure no disruption occurs during the PM's speech, sources confirmed.
