Lok Sabha Adjourned Within Seconds as Protests Block Prime Minister's Reply, Deadlock Deepens Over National Interest

Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were once again adjourned for the day within seconds of the House assembling on Wednesday evening for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expected reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. 

This unfolded in the wake of the renewed opposition protests that triggered chaos in the chamber and forced the cancellation of his speech.

Representational Image of PM NaMo; Source: NationPress

The House had reconvened at around 5 pm amid indications that the Prime Minister would address members, but disorder broke out immediately as Congress MPs entered the Well and aisles of the Lok Sabha. They were seen raising slogans against the suspension of eight Opposition members during the ongoing Budget Session of the Indian Parliament. 

Several women MPs from the Opposition blocked access to the treasury benches, including the Prime Minister’s seat, and displayed a large banner reading “Do what is right.” 

With the disruption escalating, BJP MP Sandhya Rai, who was chairing the House, adjourned the proceedings within minutes.

The adjournment followed two days of sustained confrontation between the Opposition and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, centred on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi being disallowed from referring in Parliament to excerpts from the unpublished memoir of former Army chief M M Naravane concerning the 2020 India–China military standoff in eastern Ladakh. 

Since Monday, repeated attempts by Rahul Gandhi to raise the issue have led to multiple adjournments, protests in the House and the suspension of eight Opposition MPs for the remainder of the Budget Session for unruly behaviour, including entering the Well and throwing papers towards the Chair.

When lawmakers walked out of Parliament following the abrupt adjournment, senior Congress leaders intensified their attack on the Prime Minister. 

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra claimed that PM Modi did not come to the House because “he got scared,” alleging that both the Prime Minister and Union Railway Minister Nishikant Dubey avoided facing the Opposition. 

Rahul Gandhi echoed the charge in a post on X, writing that the Prime Minister would not come to Parliament because he “doesn’t want to face the truth.”

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi said he intended to present PM Modi with a copy of Naravane’s memoir. He asserted that it was written by a former Army chief and not by any opposition leader or foreign author. 

In another social media post, he said the book existed despite claims by Cabinet ministers that it did not, and argued that it raised serious questions about political decision-making during the 2020 standoff with China.

The ruling side strongly criticised the Opposition for paralysing Parliament. Union minister Giriraj Singh described the protests as unprecedented during the President’s Address and accused Opposition MPs of behaving irresponsibly. 

Union minister Chirag Paswan also condemned the disruption, saying it prevented meaningful debate and denied even other Opposition parties the opportunity to present their views during an important parliamentary discussion.

The political tensions spilled beyond the Lok Sabha into the Parliament complex, where a verbal spat erupted between Rahul Gandhi and Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, a former Congress MP who joined the BJP ahead of the 2024 general election. 

During a protest near Parliament’s Makar Dwar, Rahul Gandhi referred to Bittu as a “traitor,” prompting Bittu to respond by calling Gandhi a “desh ke dushman.” 

The exchange, captured on video, triggered sharp reactions from both parties and protests by BJP-affiliated Sikh groups outside the Congress office later in the day.

Bittu accused Rahul Gandhi of attempting to escalate the confrontation and said the remarks reflected a lack of decorum. He also invoked the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in his criticism of the Congress leadership. 

BJP leaders, including Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, demanded action against Rahul Gandhi, saying the remarks insulted an elected representative and hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community. 

Congress leaders, including MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, defended Rahul Gandhi, arguing that Bittu had betrayed the party by switching sides and that the BJP was attempting to divert attention from substantive issues.

Inside Parliament earlier in the day, repeated adjournments followed Opposition protests over Rahul Gandhi being stopped from speaking during the Motion of Thanks. 

Speaker Om Birla cited Rule 349 of the Lok Sabha rules, which bars members from reading from books or newspapers not connected with the business of the House, to disallow references to the unpublished memoir. 

Union ministers, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah, objected to the references, leading to further protests.

The day’s disruptions also unfolded against the backdrop of Rahul Gandhi’s broader political offensive, in which he has accused the Prime Minister of being “compromised” over the recently announced India–United States trade agreement and linked it to alleged external pressures. 

Those claims have been rejected by the government, which has defended the trade deal as being in India’s national interest.

By the end of the day, with Prime Minister Modi’s reply deferred and Parliament adjourned amid continued deadlock, the Budget Session remained mired in confrontation.

What is increasingly visible in Indian Parliament this budget session is the deepening divisions between the government and the Opposition over national security, parliamentary procedure and the limits of debate inside the House.