Speaker Om Birla says he advised PM not to come to LS, had ‘definite info’ of Opposition protests
NEW DELHI, Feb 5: In an unprecedented development, the Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address without the customary speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid vociferous protests by the opposition.
The prime minister was not present in the House when Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla put the amendments moved by the opposition to the Motion of Thanks to vote, which were rejected.
The Speaker then read out the Motion of Thanks to the President for her address to both Houses of Parliament on January 28, which was passed by a voice vote, amid sloganeering by the opposition members.
As the protests continued, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till 2:00 PM.
Congress members stormed the Well, carrying posters with PM Modi’s picture and ‘Narendra-Surrender’ slogan written at the top.
An anguished Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said he had “concrete information” that many Congress members might move towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s seat and carry out “some unexpected act” as a result of which he had requested him not to come to the House to reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address.
As the Lower House reassembled at 3 PM after three adjournments, Birla said if this incident had taken place, then this would have left the democratic traditions of the country in “shreds”.
After decrying the conduct of the opposition, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings for the day with a warning that the Lok Sabha would not function if members brought banners and posters to the House.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told reporters in Parliament House complex it was an “absolute lie” that there was any plan to hurt Modi. She also alleged that Prime Minister Modi was “hiding behind” the Speaker.
Priyanka Gandhi alleged that the government is making the Speaker “say all this” because on Wednesday the prime minister did not have the “guts” to come to the House.
“It is an absolute lie. There is no question of anybody raising hands on the prime minister, trying to hurt him or any such thing. There is no question. So it is absolutely wrong for anybody to say that there was any such plan, there was no such plan.”
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed dramatic scenes as women MPs from the opposition marched towards the Treasury benches holding banners ahead of the prime minister’s scheduled reply at 5 pm.
The House has witnessed disruptions since Monday afternoon, when the Speaker disallowed Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, citing rules, from referring to an unpublished book by former Army Chief M M Naravane.
Members of the ruling alliance had participated in the debate, while opposition members had refused to join and insisted that the Congress leader be allowed to speak first.
Lashing out at opposition members, the Speaker said the conduct of some of them in his office on Wednesday was not appropriate and in fact was “like a black spot”.
“With sadness I have to inform you that some members displayed such behaviour in the House on Wednesday that had never been witnessed in its history.” Birla said the dignity of the chair has been established in the Constitution.
“Never in history have political differences been dragged to the House. The conduct of the opposition members in the office of the Speaker was not appropriate and in fact it was like a black spot,” he added.
“When the Leader of the House was to reply (to the debate on the motion of thanks on the President’s address), I had concrete information that many members of the Congress party could carry out an unexpected act by reaching the spot where the prime minister sits.”
“If this incident had taken place, this would have left the democratic traditions of the country in shreds. To avoid this, I requested the PM to not come to the House and as the Speaker it was my responsibility to uphold the dignity of the House,” Birla said.
The Speaker thanked Modi for acceding to his request and avoiding unpleasant scenes in the Lok Sabha by not coming to the House on Wednesday.
He repeatedly warned opposition members that if they bring posters and pamphlets, the House will not function. “It will not function today and tomorrow also”.
Birla later adjourned the House for the day as opposition members raised slogans and protested.
Earlier, when the House met at 12 noon, the Speaker put the amendments moved by the opposition to the Motion of Thanks to vote. The amendments were rejected by a voice vote amid protests by the opposition members.
The Prime Minister was not present in the House on Thursday.
The Speaker then read out the Motion of Thanks to the President which was passed by a voice vote.
Constitutional expert P D T Achary termed the passage of the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address without the customary reply by the prime minister as an “unprecedented development”.
Achary, a former Lok Sabha secretary general, said that in 2004, the then prime minister Manmohan Singh was present in the House, but did not make a speech as per an understanding reached with the then opposition BJP.
The Speaker then read out the Motion of Thanks to the President for her address to both Houses of Parliament on January 28, which was passed by a voice vote, amid sloganeering by the opposition members.
Earlier, Congress members stormed the Well, carrying posters with PM Modi’s picture and a uncharitable slogan written at the top.
Samajwadi Party members too were in the Well, carrying three banners and pamphlets raising the issue of demolitions at the Manikarnika ghat on the river Ganga in Varanasi. The SP banners carried pictures of Rani Ahilyabai Holkar, who had developed the ghats nearly 300 years ago.
Trinamool Congress members were also in the Well joining the protest, while other members of the INDIA bloc, including the DMK and the Left, stood at their seats and in the aisle in solidarity.
The scheduled discussion on the Union Budget, which was listed for the day could not take place due to repeated disruptions.
CONG SLAMS GOVT OVER RAHUL NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK IN LS
Congress on Thursday hit out at the government and said all opposition parties are united that if Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to speak on the most important order of business, there is very little opportunity for the House to run.
The opposition party also recalled that on June 10, 2004, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was prevented by the BJP from speaking on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.
“There is only one issue in Parliament that is agitating the opposition that the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha has been prevented from speaking. When he began to speak raising fundamental issues of security, foreign and defence policy, the prime minister did not want to hear, the home minister did not want to hear, the defence minister did not want to hear,” Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said.
“The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has said that the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are two interlinked pillars of Parliament. When one is undermined the other is weakened. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha has been prevented from speaking for the past four days….All Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha walked out in protest of the denial of opportunity for the LoP Lok Sabha to speak,” Ramesh told reporters in Parliament House complex. (PTI)
