Lok Sabha Adjourned for Day Amid Opposition Protest Over Suspensions
Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were abruptly adjourned for the entire day on Wednesday, mere seconds after the House assembled for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's highly anticipated reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address. The session, scheduled to begin at 5 PM, descended into immediate chaos as opposition members launched a vociferous protest.
Chaos Erupts Over Suspension of MPs
As soon as the proceedings commenced, Congress MPs stormed into the well of the House and occupied the aisles, raising loud slogans. Their protest was centered on the recent suspension of eight Congress MPs during the ongoing Budget Session. In a dramatic escalation, several women MPs from the opposition bloc physically blocked the seats on the treasury benches, including the seat reserved for the Prime Minister himself.
The protesting MPs also unfurled a large banner with a pointed message that read, "Do what is right." Faced with the complete disruption of parliamentary decorum, BJP MP Sandhya Rai, who was presiding as the acting speaker at the time, had no choice but to adjourn the proceedings for the day.
Opposition Leaders Launch Scathing Attacks
While exiting Parliament, senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched a direct attack on Prime Minister Modi. She claimed that the Prime Minister did not arrive in the House because "he got scared." In her remarks, she stated, "He (PM Modi) got scared and that's why he did not arrive at the house...Union Railway Minister and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey ran away like a bullet train."
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi also intensified his criticism through social media. In a post on X, he asserted, "As I said, PM Modi won't come to Parliament because he's scared and doesn't want to face the truth." Earlier in the day, Gandhi had announced his intention to present the Prime Minister with a copy of a book authored by former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane.
Rahul Gandhi emphasized that the book, which discusses the 2020 standoff with China in eastern Ladakh, was written by a former military chief and not a political opponent. He posted, "Today, if the Prime Minister comes to Parliament, I will present him with a book... This book is by the country's former Army Chief, General Naravane, and the surprising thing is that, according to the Cabinet Ministers, this book does not even exist."
Ruling Party Condemns Opposition Conduct
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly condemned the actions of the opposition MPs, accusing them of preventing the House from functioning. Union Minister Giriraj Singh expressed his dismay, stating, "This is unfortunate. This is the first time such a ruckus has been created during the President's address. They are behaving like children." He further questioned, "What do they think? Do they think this is the Nehru family's kingdom, or the Congress party's office, or Sonia Gandhi's house?"
Echoing similar sentiments, Union Minister Chirag Paswan criticized the opposition's conduct for stifling meaningful parliamentary discussion. He remarked, "This is extremely unfortunate. The way the Opposition behaved during the President’s address prevented any meaningful discussion. Because of the Congress, even other Opposition parties were denied the opportunity to present their views." Paswan highlighted that the President's address is a crucial platform for raising issues, especially with elections approaching in several states, and argued that regional parties were unfairly denied a voice.
Background of the Parliamentary Standoff
The current turmoil follows repeated confrontations between the opposition and the treasury benches. The flashpoint was Rahul Gandhi's recent address in the Lok Sabha, where he raised the sensitive issue of the India-China border skirmishes of August 2020. Citing what he termed 'uncomfortable facts' from General Naravane's memoirs, Gandhi alleged 'political indecision' in the government's response to Chinese actions during the Galwan standoff.
This provoked strong rebuttals from Union ministers and a firm rejection from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who ruled that Gandhi's repeated references to Galwan violated parliamentary norms. The tension culminated on Tuesday with the suspension of the eight Congress MPs for the remainder of the session following the ruckus over Gandhi's speech. The ongoing Budget Session continues to be marred by these deep political divisions and procedural disruptions.
