Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said he had advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to enter the House (on Wednesday) after receiving intelligence that Opposition MPs had surrounded the Prime Minister’s chair and that a serious incident could occur.
Expressing anguish over the repeated disruptions that led to the adjournment of the House just before the Prime Minister’s scheduled address, Birla alleged that some Opposition members had “misbehaved” inside the chamber.
“The country saw what happened in the House yesterday. Everyone saw how MPs approached the Prime Minister’s chair,” the Speaker said. “I received information that any mishap could have happened. To ensure such a situation does not arise, I conveyed to PM Modi not to come to the House.”
Birla claimed he had credible inputs that Congress MPs might attempt to create disorder during the Prime Minister’s address. “Historically, political disagreements have not been brought to the floor of Parliament. I received information that some members of the Congress party could have approached the Prime Minister’s seat and caused an unforeseen incident,” he said.
“If such an incident had occurred, it would have severely damaged the dignity of the nation. That is why I urged the Prime Minister not to come to Parliament,” Birla added, calling the events a “black spot in the history of Parliament”.
He also said it had never been the tradition of the House to drag political differences to the office of the Speaker.
What happened in Lok Sabha on Wednesday
The Lok Sabha witnessed repeated disruptions on Wednesday amid protests by Opposition members over Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to refer to an “unpublished” book by former Army chief General MM Naravane. The move was strongly opposed by senior ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah.
After the House reconvened at 2 pm, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey triggered fresh controversy by citing books such as Edwina and Nehru and The Mitrokhin Archive, making remarks targeting former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi.
As Dubey continued quoting from various publications, TDP MP Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was in the Chair, intervened, noting that the Speaker had already ruled against allowing such references. Tenneti invoked Rule 349, which bars members from reading from books, newspapers, or letters unless connected with the business of the House.
Dubey’s remarks led to protests from Congress and other Opposition MPs, who entered the Well of the House, forcing an adjournment till 5 pm.
Following the adjournment, Congress MPs met Speaker Om Birla to object to what they described as the selective application of the rules, alleging that Dubey was allowed to quote from books. At the same time, Rahul Gandhi was denied a similar opportunity.
The House had already been adjourned three times earlier in the day, at 11 am, noon, and 2 pm, amid uproar over the former Army chief’s book and the India-US trade deal. Government floor managers had indicated that Prime Minister Modi would reply to the Motion of Thanks debate at 5 pm.
When the House reassembled in the evening, protests escalated, with women Opposition MPs led by Congress member Varsha Gaikwad marching towards the Prime Minister’s seat. BJP MP Sandhya Rai, who was presiding, adjourned the House for the day.
Opposition members also demanded the suspension of Nishikant Dubey over his remarks.
