New Delhi: Unprecedented scenes unfolded in the Lok Sabha as the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address was passed without Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivering his customary concluding speech, amid intense disruptions and serious security concerns inside the House.
According to information shared by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, he personally advised Prime Minister Modi to stay away from the Lower House after a volatile standoff erupted. The Speaker said Congress MPs had allegedly gathered around the Speaker’s chair, creating a situation he felt could spiral out of control. Birla told members that he would formally brief the House on Thursday about the sequence of events that led to the disruption.
Despite the Prime Minister being present in the Parliament complex, the House proceedings were repeatedly interrupted due to Opposition sloganeering. With the atmosphere remaining charged, Speaker Birla eventually put the Motion of Thanks to a voice vote, which was cleared before the House was adjourned early.
India TV, citing sources, reported that the early adjournment was intended to prevent a direct confrontation involving the Prime Minister. The channel’s sources further claimed that there were apprehensions of a physical altercation, alleging that some Congress members were planning aggressive action inside the House, prompting heightened caution from the Chair.
Sources told India TV that the Speaker’s decision was driven by concerns over the Prime Minister’s safety, leading to the extraordinary step of concluding proceedings without Modi’s address — a rare occurrence in parliamentary history.
The Congress strongly rejected these allegations. Senior leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra dismissed claims of any planned attack, calling them “baseless and fabricated.” She maintained that Opposition members were only exercising their democratic right to protest and accused the ruling party of exaggerating the situation to divert attention.
Meanwhile, suspended Congress MP Manickam Tagore escalated the political standoff, stating that the INDIA bloc would not allow the Prime Minister to speak unless Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was first given an opportunity to address the House. He described the developments as a blow to parliamentary traditions and alleged that Opposition voices were being systematically silenced.
