'Maintain Dignity Of The House': As PM Modi Speaks In Lok Sabha, Speaker's Message To Rahul Gandhi Amid Ruckus

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla urges Opposition leaders to maintain decorum during the Prime Minister’s Motion of Thanks address. (Image: YouTube)

Opposition politicians shouted slogans in the Lok Sabha even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi replied to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address on Tuesday, prompting a rebuke by Speaker Om Birla.

“This is not right, you are directing your MPs to come into the well [of the House],” Birla told Congress parliamentarian Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition of in the Lok Sabha. “Please maintain the dignity of the House,” Birla said amid sloganeering by Opposition members.

As PM Modi continued his speech, harping on his vision for a Viksit Bharat by 2047, Opposition thundered: “…hume nyay do”. The Hindi slogans turned to English — “We want justice” — but they were relentless. As PM Modi underlined his government’s efforts crack down on corruption, slogans raking up the NEET examination fiasco and Manipur hung in the air.

“NEET par bayan do [give a statement on NEET], Manipur ko nyay do [give justice to Manipur],” the Opposition shouted, referring to the paper leak in the NEET medical entrance examination and conflicts in the northeastern state of Manipur.

Nyay, or justice, was the underlying theme of the Congress party’s campaign in a bitterly fought election.

In his speech, PM Modi also said that the country had long seen “appeasement politics”, while his government put emphasis on “satushtikaran ke vichaar [thought of satisfaction of the people].” He also stressed that the mature electorate of India chose his government for a record third time, and added that he could “understand the pain” of the Opposition who could not win the elections despite “spreading lies”.

Amidst the sloganeering — and the Opposition coming down to the well, the Speaker had to interject more than once. “The next five years can’t be like this,” he said, as the disruptions continued.