New Delhi, Feb 5 — Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to come to the House amid chaotic scenes that forced the government to pass the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address without the PM’s reply.
“I urged the PM not to come because anything untoward could have happened. Some opposition members had come to the treasury side and their conduct was unparliamentary,” Birla told the House before adjourning proceedings for the day.
The disruption saw Congress-led opposition women MPs stand directly in front of the Prime Minister’s seat, holding banners, blocking his path and leading to the deferment of Modi’s scheduled reply — for the second consecutive day.
Expressing concern over the scenes, the Speaker cautioned MPs against bringing posters and banners into the House. “If members resort to such conduct, the House cannot function,” he said.
The protest was sparked by opposition demands for action against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, whom Congress accused of making disparaging references to the Nehru-Gandhi family during Wednesday’s proceedings.
Congress leaders pointed to a recent ruling by the Speaker that MPs cannot quote or make critical references to others without prior notice — a direction issued when Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi attempted to cite an unpublished work to criticise the Prime Minister and Defence Minister.
BJP leaders backed the decision to keep the Prime Minister away from the House during the chaos.
“Women members of the opposition had positioned themselves in the path the Prime Minister takes to his seat in Lok Sabha. They carried banners with ugly messaging written all over. The PM avoided coming to the House to maintain its dignity,” BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi said.
Party leader Sanjay Jaiswal went further, demanding strict action against the women MPs who disrupted proceedings and sought to obstruct the Prime Minister’s reply.
Despite the Speaker’s warning, the opposition continued to press for punitive action against Dubey, keeping the House in disorder.