Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

NEW DELHI: A group of women MPs from the Congress has written a strongly worded letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accusing him of making “false and defamatory allegations” against them.The controversy erupted after Birla publicly stated that he had advised the Prime Minister not to come to the House because of fears that Congress MPs could create an “inappropriate incident” near the PM’s seat.In the 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.“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 states.“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 added.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.“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 letter said.The MPs described 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 added.The letter follows a statement by Speaker Om Birla explaining why the Prime Minister’s scheduled reply in the Lok Sabha was cancelled, a charge the Congress has rejected.“When the Prime Minister was supposed to respond to the President’s address in the House, I received information that several Congress MPs could have created an inappropriate incident near the Prime Minister’s chair… If such an incident had occurred, it would have torn apart the democratic traditions of the country. To prevent this, I requested the Prime Minister not to come to the House,” Birla said.