‘False and Defamatory’: Congress Women MPs Write to Speaker Om Birla Over Remarks on PM’s Absence

Women Members of Parliament from the Congress have written a strong letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accusing him of making false and defamatory allegations against them to justify Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s absence from the House during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.

In the letter sent on Monday, the MPs expressed deep anguish over the Speaker’s statements made after the Motion of Thanks was passed without the Prime Minister’s customary reply. They urged Birla to act as an impartial guardian of the Lok Sabha and uphold the dignity and neutrality of his constitutional office.

The letter comes in the wake of remarks by the Speaker, who had told the House that he had “concrete information” suggesting that some Congress MPs might move towards the Prime Minister’s seat and carry out an “unexpected act.” Based on this claim, Birla said he had requested the Prime Minister not to attend the House for his reply.

Rejecting these allegations, the Congress women MPs said the Speaker’s remarks were made under pressure from the ruling party to defend the Prime Minister’s “non-appearance.” They insisted that Modi’s absence was not due to any security threat but because he was unwilling to face questions from the Opposition.

“We are being targeted simply because we have consistently demanded accountability from Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” the letter said. “His absence from the House was not because of any threat from us, but due to fear of facing the Opposition.”

The letter was signed by senior Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jyothimani, R Sudha, Varsha Gaikwad, and Jyotsna Mahant. The MPs stressed that the Congress stands for constitutional values, peace, and non-violence, and rejected any suggestion of intimidation or disorder.

Calling themselves “brave women elected representatives,” they said they would not be silenced by intimidation and demanded transparency to restore the credibility of Parliament and the dignity of the Speaker’s office.

While stating that they hold the Speaker’s office in high regard, the MPs expressed concern that Birla appeared to be under sustained pressure from the ruling party. They urged him to act independently and uphold constitutional propriety.

“Let history remember you as someone who stood for what was right in difficult times, not as one who bowed to pressure that damaged democratic values,” the letter said.

The MPs also highlighted what they described as a breakdown of parliamentary convention. They noted that during the debate on the Motion of Thanks, both the government and Opposition are traditionally allowed to speak before the Prime Minister replies. However, they alleged that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was denied the opportunity to speak for four consecutive days.

They further claimed that eight MPs from the INDIA bloc were suspended at the government’s behest, while a BJP MP was allowed to make vulgar and obscene remarks about former prime ministers without action being taken.

According to the letter, when Opposition MPs met the Speaker seeking action against the BJP MP, he initially acknowledged that a serious mistake had occurred but later said he was awaiting the government’s response, raising questions about his authority as Speaker.

The MPs also pointed out that despite the Prime Minister being scheduled to speak later that day, he did not appear as Opposition members protested, and the Motion of Thanks was eventually passed without his reply—an unprecedented move in parliamentary history.

Congress leaders have strongly denied the Speaker’s claims of any plan to disrupt or harm the Prime Minister. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra later described the allegations as an “absolute lie” and accused Prime Minister Modi of “hiding behind” the Speaker.