Budget session: Motion of Thanks passed without PM’s reply, LS deadlock deepens

In an unprecedented move, Parliament on Thursday passed the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address without Prime Minister Narendra Modi replying to the debate.

PM Modi was scheduled to respond in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, but his speech was cancelled at the last minute amid a continuing standoff between the ruling party and the Opposition.

According to parliamentary records, this is the first time in over 21 years that the Motion of Thanks has been passed without the prime minister’s reply. The last time Motion of Thanks was passed without the prime minister’s reply was in 2004, when Dr Manmohan Singh was not allowed to speak.

Former Lok Sabha secretary general P.D.T. Achary noted that in 2004, the motion was put to vote straightaway by mutual understanding among political parties.

The Opposition, led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, has been demanding that the leader of the Opposition (LoP) be allowed to speak in the House. The Congress has alleged that the LoP has not been allowed to speak for the past four days.

On Monday, Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the Modi government over Chinese incursions in Ladakh when BJP MP Tejashwi Surya questioned Congress’s nationalism. Gandhi cited former army chief general M.M. Naravane’s memoir. Gandhi sought to read out a paragraph from the book, which had been quoted in a magazine report.

However, speaker Om Birla did not allow the reference.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh argued that the book had not yet been officially published and therefore could not be cited in Parliament. Two days later, on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi flashed a copy of the book in the House and said he would give it to the prime minister if he attended the session.

Prime Minister Modi has not attended the Lok Sabha since Monday.

Calling it a “sad day for parliamentary democracy”, Congress leader Manickam Tagore said, “The Leader of the Opposition was not allowed to present the views of crores of Indians, while only ruling party members dominated the proceedings. Shockingly, the prime minister himself did not come to participate in the Lok Sabha, yet the Motion of Thanks was pushed through and passed. Parliament is meant for debate, dissent and dialogue — not for silencing the Opposition.”

“Democracy cannot survive when one voice speaks and all others are muted. This is not just about one party. This is about protecting the spirit of the Constitution and the dignity of Parliament,” he added.

Speaker Om Birla, criticised the conduct of Opposition members during the proceedings. As the Lok Sabha convened on Thursday, Birla said the Opposition’s act of marching towards the treasury benches on Wednesday evening was against parliamentary dignity. He noted that such conduct violated established norms and made it difficult for the presiding officer to run the House smoothly. 

The Opposition has however continued its protests, alleging that the prime minister is compromised and demanding an explanation for the appearance of his name in the Epstein files. The ruling party has blamed the Opposition for repeatedly disrupting proceedings.