New Delhi: A group of women MPs from the Congress on Tuesday wrote a strongly worded letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accusing him of making “false and defamatory allegations” against them and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s absence from Lok Sabha was “not due to any threat from us, it was an act of fear”.
On February 5, Birla stated that he had advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi to skip the session on February 5 as he had “concrete information” that some members of the Congress party were planning to carry out an “unforeseen act” against him
Taking the remarks seriously from the chair, the Congress MPs wrote three-page letter addressed to Birla.
Congress MP S. Jothimani and other women MPs rejected the charge outright, calling it an attempt to deflect from what they described as the government’s refusal to allow the leader of the opposition to speak.
The letter, signed by six MPs including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jyotsna Charandas Mahant, R. Sudha, Varsha Eknath Gaikwad, comes on the heels of grave allegations by the Speaker.
“We write this letter with deep anguish and a strong sense of constitutional responsibility. It is extremely unfortunate that you, as the Hon’ble Speaker of the Lok Sabha, have been forced by the ruling party to make false, baseless, and defamatory allegations against women Members of Parliament belonging to the Opposition,” the letter read.
“During the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, established parliamentary convention mandates that both the ruling party and the opposition are allowed to speak, after which the Prime Minister replies. Yet, for the past four consecutive days, the leader of the opposition, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, has been deliberately denied this opportunity in the Lok Sabha. This is unprecedented and indefensible,” it stated.
The letter further claimed that eight MPs from the INDIA alliance were suspended at the government’s behest, while a BJP MP was allowed to make “vulgar and obscene” remarks about former Prime Ministers without facing any consequences.
The Congress MPs also accused the Speaker of acting on instructions from the government rather than exercising independent authority.
The letter mention about the meeting with the Speaker and said, “When we met you, we demanded justice and the suspension of the above-mentioned BJP MP, you acknowledged that a grave mistake had occurred and asked us to return at 4 pm. Upon meeting you again, you stated that you were awaiting the government’s response regarding the issue, indicating that you are no longer the decision maker in such matters. This raises serious questions regarding your authority as Speaker of the House.”
The MPs dubbed Birla’s allegation that they had “gheraoed” the Prime Minister “as an assault on their dignity and credibility”.
“We are being targeted simply because we have consistently fought against Prime Minister Narender Modi’s anti-people government and demanded accountability from him. His abscence from the House was not due to any thrcat from us, it was an act of fear. He did not have the courage to face the opposition,” it read.
The women MPs further wrote: “Our protests have been unrelentingly peaceful, firm, and entirely within democratic norms. Most of us come from humble backgrounds and many are first generation politicians. Our journeys have been built from decades of hard work among the people, facing resistance and discrimination. Questioning our integrity is a grievous attack on every woman who earns her place in public life with dignity and courage.”
Alleging that it is “amply clear that you (Speaker) are under sustained pressure from the ruling party,” the MPs urged Birla to act as the impartial custodian of the Lok Sabha.
