Congress Recalls 2004 Incident as Lok Sabha Deadlock Continues
Party says Manmohan Singh was blocked by BJP from replying to President’s Address in 2004.
Amid the ongoing standoff between the government and the opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Congress on Thursday recalled an incident from 2004, claiming that then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was prevented by the BJP from speaking on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, shared a video clip on social media platform X of Dr. Singh’s speech delivered on March 10, 2005. In the post, Ramesh referred to events of June 10, 2004, when, according to the Congress, the BJP disrupted proceedings and did not allow the prime minister to respond to the Motion of Thanks.
Ramesh said that when Dr. Singh finally spoke on the issue in 2005, he had pointedly mentioned the delay. Quoting from the former prime minister’s address, Ramesh recalled that Singh described it as a “hard-earned privilege,” noting that he had to wait an entire year to formally thank the President for the address to Parliament.
The Congress’s remarks come against the backdrop of chaotic scenes in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Proceedings were adjourned for the day after women opposition MPs moved towards the prime minister’s seat holding protest banners, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled reply to the Motion of Thanks.
At the time of the disruption, the prime minister was not present in the House. BJP MP P. P. Chaudhary was speaking on the Motion of Thanks when opposition members entered the Well of the House. Government floor managers had earlier indicated that the prime minister would reply to the debate at 5 pm.
When the House reconvened after multiple adjournments, BJP MP Sandhya Rai, who was presiding, called upon Chaudhary to continue his remarks. Soon after, women members of the opposition again entered the Well and moved towards the Treasury benches, protesting against the recently announced trade deal with the United States and references to an “unpublished” book by former Army chief M. M. Naravane. As the members approached the prime minister’s seat, the presiding officer adjourned the House for the day.
Prime Minister Modi is now expected to speak in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, where the debate on the Motion of Thanks has proceeded without disruption. However, it remains unclear when he will address the Lok Sabha, as opposition protests are likely to continue. The Union Budget discussion is scheduled in the Lok Sabha agenda for Thursday.
The confrontation between the government and the opposition intensified earlier this week after one CPI(M) member and seven Congress MPs were suspended for the remainder of the Budget session over alleged unruly behaviour.
