Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Feb 10: Amid sharp claims by the Opposition that there was no imminent threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during last week’s turmoil in the Lok Sabha, sources in the Lok Sabha Secretariat on Monday said Speaker Om Birla had “genuine and well-founded concerns” about the Prime Minister’s safety and the maintenance of order in the House.

Referring to the sequence of events that unfolded in the Lower House on Wednesday, the sources said Birla’s advice to Modi not to enter the Lok Sabha chamber at that juncture was guided solely by the need to ensure smooth conduct of parliamentary business and to safeguard the dignity and sanctity of the institution.

The clarification came hours after Congress women MPs wrote to the Speaker, alleging that under pressure from the ruling party to justify the Prime Minister’s non-appearance, he had made grave allegations against them. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, along with other Opposition leaders, also met Birla to apprise him of issues they wanted to raise in the House.

The meeting took place after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day amid a continuing standoff between the government and the Opposition over Gandhi’s demand to be allowed to speak before the discussion on the Union Budget.

According to the Secretariat sources, the atmosphere in the House deteriorated sharply from the very beginning of proceedings on Wednesday. Opposition MPs entered the Well of the House in defiance of parliamentary norms, with some climbing onto tables, tearing official papers and hurling them towards the Chair.

“These acts signalled a complete breakdown of discipline and constituted one of the most unfortunate episodes witnessed in the Lok Sabha,” the sources said, adding that the scenes drew concern both within the country and abroad.

Amid the chaos, several women MPs allegedly moved aggressively towards the Prime Minister’s seat, forming a virtual cordon around it. Some members also crossed over to the treasury benches carrying banners and placards, advancing deep into the area where senior ministers were seated, thereby heightening concerns over safety and security within the chamber.

“In this backdrop, the Speaker had genuine concerns regarding the safety of the Prime Minister and the overall decorum of the House,” a functionary said, rejecting Opposition claims that there was no imminent threat as “devoid of facts”.

The sources also alleged that when Opposition MPs later met the Speaker in his office, they used “unparliamentary language”, a point Birla himself referred to while explaining his decision in the House on Thursday.

The Lok Sabha has seen repeated disruptions since February 2, after Rahul Gandhi was disallowed from citing a report based on an unpublished memoir of former Army chief M M Naravane on the 2020 India-China conflict. The issue escalated into daily ruckus, leading to the suspension of seven Congress MPs and one CPI-M MP for the remainder of the session.

In an unprecedented development, Modi did not speak on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, following Birla’s advice in view of the prevailing situation.

The Secretariat sources stressed that the Speaker’s foremost constitutional responsibility is to maintain order, decorum and dignity in the House, and his actions were firmly anchored in this obligation.