A group of Congress women MPs have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, rejecting allegations that their protest posed 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”.
Lok Sabha proceedings are underway during the budget session in New Delhi. (Parliament TV)In a letter, the MPs termed the Speaker’s comments against women opposition party members as “false, baseless and defamatory” and accused the government of denying the parliamentary rights of opposition parties. The letter was led by MP S Jothimony and signed by several women MPs.
The debate followed an unprecedented disruption in the Lok Sabha last week, during which the Prime Minister did not give her scheduled reply to the debate on the President’s address.
This marked the first instance in 22 years that a prime minister could not respond to a debate in the lower house. After repeated adjournments the vote of thanks was passed by voice vote.
Speaker Om Birla said he had received “reliable information” that some Congress MPs could reach the Prime Minister’s seat and cause “unexpected incidents” when Modi was speaking. He also criticized the opposition party members for their behavior and said that he had advised the Prime Minister not to come to Parliament at that time.
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Congress leaders strongly opposed this claim. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the Prime Minister was “hiding behind the Speaker” and accused the government of avoiding discussions. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi took to social media to say that the Prime Minister has “resorted to lies” because he is afraid of the truth.
In their letter, the women MPs told Birla that their protest was peaceful and within democratic norms. “His absence in the House was not due to any threat from us, it was an act of fear. He did not have the courage to face the opposition,” they wrote.
They expressed concern over pressure on the Speaker’s office by the ruling party and said the chairman must remain neutral. The MPs alleged that Rahul Gandhi was repeatedly denied the opportunity to speak during the debate, calling it “unprecedented and overwhelming”.
The letter referred to the suspension of eight opposition MPs earlier in the week and objected to electoral action in allowing a BJP MP to make offensive comments about former prime ministers while punishing opposition members.
The opposition’s protests centered around demands that Rahul Gandhi be allowed to speak about the unpublished memoirs of former army chief General MM Naravane and issues related to India-China relations. The Speaker declined to refer to a media article on the book, citing House rules, a move supported by senior ministers.
