New Delhi: The Lok Sabha was forced to adjourn for the day on Friday without conducting any legislative business, as Opposition members stormed the well of the House, raised slogans, and displayed placards targeting the government.
Except for the President’s address to Parliament and the presentation and passage of the Union Budget—which took place in an unusually peaceful atmosphere on Sunday—the Lower House has seen almost no meaningful proceedings since the Budget session began on January 28.
The motion of thanks to the President’s address could not be properly debated, and discussions on the Budget itself are yet to commence. Parliamentary managers from the ruling side expressed cautious optimism that Budget deliberations might start next week, though they admitted the current mood of the Opposition made the outlook uncertain.
The ongoing impasse was sparked by the refusal to allow Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to refer to an unpublished book written by former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane. This single issue appears to have galvanised the Opposition parties, putting the Treasury benches on the back foot.
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In a notable development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the first time since assuming office in 2014, was compelled to cancel his traditional reply to the motion of thanks on the President’s address in the Lok Sabha.
The Congress intensified its criticism by labelling the Prime Minister a “coward” and drawing a pointed comparison with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The party highlighted that in 2004, Singh had faced a comparable situation when the Opposition prevented him from delivering his reply to the motion of thanks. Unlike Modi, who chose to stay away from the House, Singh had remained present and appealed to the protesting Opposition to allow the vote to proceed.
A Congress social media post included a video clip showing Manmohan Singh standing in the Lok Sabha while BJP members—then in Opposition—tore papers and threw them into the air in protest against the inclusion of ministers with criminal records in the UPA government.
The Congress further escalated its campaign against the government by focusing on the widely discussed India-US trade deal. Senior party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, led a demonstration carrying large banners that read “Trap Deal” and featured photographs of Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump.
In a strongly worded statement, the Congress described the agreement as “a direct assault on India’s farmers and traders,” asserting that it was finalised entirely on America’s terms and constituted a “trap deal” that undermined the country’s national interest.
