Lok Sabha Speaker Slams Opposition Over Disruptive Protest, Advises PM Modi to Skip House
Om Birla says unprecedented conduct by some MPs forced him to act to protect parliamentary dignity.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday strongly criticised the conduct of opposition members in Parliament, saying their actions had crossed all limits of parliamentary decorum and created an unprecedented situation in the House.
Birla revealed that he had specific information suggesting that some Congress MPs were planning an “unexpected act” by moving towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s seat. In view of the potential disruption, he said he advised the Prime Minister not to attend the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, when Modi was scheduled to reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address.
Addressing the House after it reassembled at 3 pm, the Speaker described the scenes witnessed earlier in the day as something never seen before in the history of Parliament. During the ongoing protests, several women MPs from the opposition, holding banners, rushed towards the Prime Minister’s seat, forcing the House to be adjourned before Modi could speak. At that time, BJP MP P.P. Chaudhary was addressing the House, while the Prime Minister was not present.
Calling the behaviour of certain opposition members a “black spot” on the dignity of Parliament, Birla said political disagreements should never lead to such actions. He expressed deep regret over the incident, stating that such scenes had no place in a democratic institution like Parliament.
The Speaker said his decision to ask the Prime Minister to stay away was taken purely to protect the dignity of the House and to prevent any situation that could damage the country’s democratic traditions. He also thanked Prime Minister Modi for accepting his request, saying it helped avoid further chaos in what he described as the “temple of democracy.”
Birla reminded members that the dignity of the Speaker’s Chair is protected by the Constitution and must be respected under all circumstances. As opposition MPs continued to raise slogans and disrupt proceedings, he adjourned the House for the rest of the day.
The incident has further heightened tensions during the ongoing Budget Session, underlining the growing confrontation between the ruling BJP and the opposition, especially the Congress, over issues of conduct and discipline in Parliament.
