Historic Moment in Parliament During Budget Session
In a rare parliamentary development, the Lok Sabha on Thursday approved President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament without a reply from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This marked the first such instance since 2004. The decision came during the ongoing Budget Session after continuous disruptions by opposition members. The Prime Minister was scheduled to respond to the Motion of Thanks on Wednesday. However, repeated sloganeering and protests forced the Speaker to adjourn the House before he could speak.
Opposition Protests Lead to Repeated Adjournments
Tensions in the lower house escalated as opposition MPs, especially from the INDIA bloc, raised slogans against the Centre. They alleged that authorities denied Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi his right to speak in Parliament. Members also protested against restrictions on quoting former Army Chief General MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir on the 2020 China standoff. Due to the unrest, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned proceedings several times. Despite the chaos, he read out the Motion of Thanks and passed it through a voice vote.
Suspensions and Deepening Political Divide
The confrontation between the government and the opposition intensified earlier this week when eight Congress MPs were suspended for unruly behaviour. The suspensions further widened the political divide inside Parliament. Opposition leaders accused the ruling party of suppressing democratic voices. Meanwhile, government representatives blamed the opposition for deliberately stalling proceedings. As protests continued, the Speaker adjourned the House until 2:00 PM, hoping to restore order and resume normal legislative work.
Echoes of 2004 Parliamentary Standoff
The current situation has drawn comparisons with a similar episode in 2004, when then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was unable to respond to the Motion of Thanks due to disruptions by the BJP. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh recently shared a video recalling that incident on social media. In the clip, Singh referred to the events of June 2004, when political turmoil blocked his speech. Analysts say the latest development reflects growing friction between the government and the opposition. It also raises concerns about the impact of frequent disruptions on parliamentary traditions and democratic debate.
