New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Thursday said he had advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to attend the House amid concerns over disorder, citing information that an inappropriate incident could have taken place near the Prime Minister’s chair.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Birla said, “With immense sadness, I want to inform the House that yesterday, the way a few MPs behaved in the Lok Sabha chamber was unprecedented. This has never happened in the history of the Lok Sabha. In our parliamentary chamber, the Speaker holds a respected place, and this is also mentioned in the Constitution. Differences of opinion have always come to Parliament, but such behaviour has not been seen earlier.”
He further said that what some Opposition leaders allegedly did in the Speaker’s office was not appropriate for parliamentary functioning. “What Opposition leaders have done in the Speaker’s office is not appropriate for parliamentary activities. I would say it was like a ‘black spot’. We should all help in running Parliament smoothly,” Birla said.
Referring to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, the Speaker said he had received information that a few Congress MPs could create an inappropriate situation when the Leader of the House was scheduled to respond.
“When the Leader of the House had to give the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, I got information that a few Congress MPs could do something inappropriate. I have also seen such things in Parliament,” he said.
Birla added that if such an incident had taken place, it would have severely damaged the country’s democratic traditions.
“If such an incident had occurred, it would have torn apart the democratic traditions of the country. So, to avoid such a situation, I requested the Prime Minister not to come yesterday. As Speaker, it is my responsibility to maintain the decorum of Parliament,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address was adopted by the Lok SabhaThursday without the customary speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the Opposition continued protests for the fourth consecutive day during the Budget Session.
However, the development is not entirely without precedent. In 2004, then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was also prevented from replying to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address due to disruptions by the Opposition.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi was not present in the Lok Sabha when the Motion of Thanks to the President for her address to both Houses of Parliament January 28 was passed.
Amid sloganeering by Opposition members, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till 2:00 p.m.
Some Opposition MPs stormed the Well of the House, carrying posters with the Prime Minister’s picture and the slogan “Narendra-Surrender” written at the top.
