Chaos in Lok Sabha: Women MPs Protest Near PM’s Seat Ahead of Modi’s Address

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected to address the Lok Sabha on Wednesday and respond to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, but repeated disruptions and sloganeering forced the Speaker to adjourn the House for the day.

Proceedings in the lower house began at 11 am but were stalled within minutes due to protests by opposition members. The House was adjourned multiple times and briefly reconvened at noon and later in the afternoon, only to be suspended again amid continuing chaos.

After three adjournments, the House was scheduled to resume at 5 pm, when the Prime Minister was expected to speak. However, fresh disruptions prompted the presiding officer to adjourn the Lok Sabha for the day, deferring proceedings to Thursday.

What Led to the Adjournment?

When the House reconvened in the evening, BJP member Sandhya Rai, who was presiding, called upon party leader PP Chaudhary to respond to the Motion of Thanks. Prime Minister Modi was not present in the chamber at the time.

As Chaudhary began speaking, opposition MPs entered the Well of the House and raised slogans. A group of women MPs carrying placards moved towards the Prime Minister’s seat, protesting issues including the India-US trade deal and references to former Army chief MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir.

As the protests intensified near the Treasury benches, the presiding officer adjourned the House for the day.

Modi is now expected to address the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, where the debate on the Motion of Thanks was completed without major disruptions. There is, however, no clarity on when he will speak in the Lok Sabha, with opposition protests likely to continue.

The Lok Sabha’s agenda for Thursday includes discussions on the Union Budget.

Opposition vs Government Standoff

Tensions between the government and opposition escalated earlier this week after eight Congress MPs were suspended for the remainder of the Budget Session for alleged unruly conduct.

Parliament has witnessed sustained protests since Monday, triggered by Rahul Gandhi’s insistence on referring to excerpts from General Naravane’s unpublished book. Senior ministers, including Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, objected to the move.

Gandhi later accused Prime Minister Modi of avoiding Parliament. In a post on X, he wrote, “PM Modi won’t come to Parliament because he is scared and doesn’t want to face the truth.”

Speaking to reporters, Gandhi said he was willing to personally hand over the book to the Prime Minister. “If he comes to the Lok Sabha, I will give him this book. The country will know the truth,” he told ANI.

Meanwhile, Union minister Giriraj Singh criticised the opposition’s conduct, calling it irresponsible. “This is unfortunate. They are behaving like children. Do they think this is the Nehru family’s kingdom?” he said.