Budget Session: A group of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) women Members of Parliament (MPs) on 10 February backed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, while slamming the Opposition members for the ‘unfortunate’ incident of throwing papers at the Chair and entering the Well of the House during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address.
The BJP MPs wrote to Speaker Birla alleging that Opposition women MPs "surrounded the Prime Minister's seat" and later aggressively approached the Speaker's chamber on 4 February. The BJP leaders urged the Speaker to take "the strongest possible action" against the MPs involved in the alleged incident.
The letter came a day after Congress MPs wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, rejecting allegations that their protest created a threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asserting that his absence from the House during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address was “an act of fear”.
The BJP MPs wrote that the nation witnessed an "unfortunate and regrettable incident" inside the Lok Sabha Chamber, when "members of opposition parties not only enter the Well of the House, but also climb onto the tables, tear up papers, and throw them towards the Speaker."
The MPs claimed to be "deeply provoked and enraged," but they did not retaliate, following instructions from senior leaders. The BJP termed it one of the “darkest moments in the history of our parliamentary democracy.”
"The matter became even more serious when, later, we saw opposition MPs aggressively approach your chamber. We could hear loud noises coming from inside your chamber," the letter read.
The BJP said that during his nearly seven-year tenure as the Presiding Officer of Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla has "consistently strived to enhance its prestige and effectiveness" and "demonstrated impartiality and given equal opportunities to all members, regardless of party affiliation."
PM Skips Lok Sabha Address
On Thursday, Speaker Om Birla said he had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to come to the House to prevent any unpleasant incident, after receiving information that some Congress MPs could come to the PM's seat and "resort to an unprecedented incident".
The Congress MPs said in response that their protests in the House were peaceful and in line with parliamentary norms, but they faced unprecedented targeting.
In the letter, the MPs highlighted that during the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address, the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, was repeatedly denied the opportunity to speak for four consecutive days, while a BJP MP made "vulgar and obscene" remarks about former Prime Ministers.
The MPs further claimed that when they met the Speaker to demand action against the BJP MP, he acknowledged a "grave mistake" but later indicated he was awaiting the government's response, suggesting he no longer acted independently in such matters.
The nation witnessed an 'unfortunate and regrettable incident' inside the Lok Sabha Chamber.
The next day, the MPs claimed, the Speaker, reportedly under pressure from the ruling party to justify the Prime Minister's absence, issued a statement making "grave allegations" against them.
The row amid Parliament showdown over Rahul Gandhi's address during the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address, where he attempted to cite former Army Chief General MM Naravane's memoir on the 2020 standoff against China.
