New Delhi (Delhi) [India], February 5 (HBTV): What was expected to be Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s key address in Parliament on Wednesday turned into a political flashpoint as his absence from the Lok Sabha, amid a fierce row over former Army Chief General MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir on the 2020 China standoff, triggered sharp accusations and an intense BJP versus Opposition confrontation inside and outside the House.
PM Modi was scheduled to reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address at 5 pm. However, following repeated disruptions and sloganeering by Opposition members, the Speaker adjourned the Lok Sabha before the Prime Minister could speak.
The standoff centred on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to cite Naravane’s unpublished memoir on the 2020 eastern Ladakh standoff. BJP leaders said referencing an unpublished book violated parliamentary rules and risked demoralising the armed forces.
The BJP accused the Opposition of deliberately creating chaos to prevent the Prime Minister from addressing the House.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh said the Opposition was behaving irresponsibly, stating, ‘This is unfortunate. This is the first time such a ruckus has been created during the President’s address. They are behaving like children. Do they think this is the Nehru family’s kingdom or the Congress party’s office?’
Union Minister Chirag Paswan alleged the Congress was silencing even other Opposition voices. ‘Because of the Congress, no opposition party is able to express its views. Climbing onto the table and insulting the Speaker is unacceptable. This is the beginning of a wrong tradition,’ he said.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale accused the Opposition of disrespecting democracy and Dalit MPs. ‘Papers were thrown when a Dalit MP, TDP MP Krishna Prasad Tenneti, was in the Chair. This is an attempt to disrespect him,’ he said.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur alleged that Rahul Gandhi and the Opposition were focused only on disruption. ‘They do not want to talk about India’s progress. Their only agenda is to create a ruckus, tear papers, throw them at the Speaker and halt Parliament,’ he said, adding that the Speaker’s rulings were being deliberately ignored.
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also alleged misconduct, claiming Opposition MPs stood with banners near the Prime Minister’s seat. ‘Protest has a limit. Why do you go where the Prime Minister and Home Minister sit? This arrogance of the Congress is dangerous for parliamentary traditions,’ he said.
BJP leaders maintained that PM Modi intended to address the House but was deprived of the opportunity due to disruptions by Congress members.
The Congress, however, alleged that the Prime Minister stayed away to avoid scrutiny on national security issues.
Rahul Gandhi accused PM Modi of being ‘scared’. Writing on X, he said, ‘As I said, PM Modi will not come to Parliament because he is scared and does not want to face the truth.’
Outside Parliament, Gandhi said he was prepared to personally hand over General Naravane’s book to the Prime Minister. ‘I do not think the PM will have the guts to come to the Lok Sabha today because if he comes, I am going to give him this book. He will know what his truth is, and the country will also know,’ he said.
Gandhi claimed the memoir showed that political leadership had abandoned the Army during the Ladakh crisis. ‘When the Chinese army had entered our border, the Army Chief was made to wait, and the PM said, “Do whatever you think is appropriate.” In the most serious crisis of the country’s security, Modi ji raised his hands from political responsibility,’ he alleged.
He further claimed that the book was published abroad but not allowed in India. ‘It is available abroad. The government is not allowing it to be published here,’ Gandhi told reporters.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra intensified the attack, saying, ‘He got scared, that is why he did not arrive in the House,’ while accusing the government of silencing the Opposition and disrespecting the Speaker.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said parliamentary debate could not function if the Leader of Opposition was silenced. ‘The Prime Minister replies to the debate, but the Leader of Opposition initiates it. If the LoP cannot speak, there is no reason to have a debate,’ he said.
TMC MP Saayoni Ghosh said the Opposition had been waiting for the Prime Minister to speak and stressed that democratic norms must be upheld.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari accused the government of invoking Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi to distract attention from the Naravane issue, calling the episode ‘a dark chapter’ in parliamentary culture.
Tensions escalated further after Rahul Gandhi referred to Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu as a ‘traitor’ outside Parliament. As Bittu walked past protesting Congress MPs, Gandhi said, ‘Here is a traitor walking right by. Look at the face. Do not worry, you will come back to Congress.’
Bittu responded by calling Gandhi ‘desh ke dushman’ and accused the Congress of hypocrisy, invoking Operation Blue Star and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. ‘You were fine when I was with you, but now that I am in the BJP you use such language,’ he said.
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri condemned Gandhi’s remark, stating that the term ‘traitor’ implied betrayal of the country and should not be used lightly.
The BJP staged protests in Delhi and Punjab, demanding that Rahul Gandhi apologise and resign. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva raised slogans calling Gandhi a ‘gaddaar’ and was later detained by the police.
Earlier in the day, the Lok Sabha was adjourned multiple times amid sloganeering over the suspension of eight Opposition MPs for allegedly throwing papers at the Chair during protests linked to the Naravane reference. The suspended MPs continued demonstrations outside Parliament with posters alleging that the Prime Minister was ‘compromised’.
By evening, PM Modi’s scheduled speech slot had lapsed, the House remained paralysed, and the Budget Session witnessed another turbulent day. Both Houses will reconvene at 11 am on Thursday.
(ANI)