In a bold confrontation shaking Parliament, Congress’s women MPs have accused Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla of yielding to ruling BJP pressures in a scathing open letter. Penned on MP S Jothimani’s letterhead and endorsed by heavyweights like Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the document exposes a pattern of smears, suspensions, and suppressed voices.
The trigger? Recent Lok Sabha chaos during the President’s address thanks motion. Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, were stonewalled from speaking despite convention, spanning four critical days. Meanwhile, eight INDIA alliance MPs were booted out, contrasting sharply with leniency shown to a BJP member for vulgar comments on ex-PMs.
Recalling their dialogue with Birla, the MPs note his initial admission of error and promise of action, only for him to backpedal, awaiting ‘government response.’ This, they say, undermines the Speaker’s constitutional authority to uphold dignity, impartiality, and members’ rights beyond party lines.
PM Modi’s abrupt no-show for his 5 PM slot, amid standing protests from INDIA bloc, set the stage for Birla’s controversial statement the following day. It pinned the blame on Congress women MPs with ‘serious allegations,’ which they vehemently deny as character assassination.
‘We hail from ordinary backgrounds, forged through tireless service and battling discrimination,’ the letter emphasizes. Targeting them now is an assault on every woman carving space in public life with dignity. Their fight against ‘anti-people’ policies isn’t intimidation—it’s democratic accountability. The PM dodged, they claim, out of cowardice.
Rooted in Congress’s ethos of peace and constitutionalism, these ‘brave women representatives’ vow not to be cowed. They implore Birla to resist pressures, restore transparency, and etch his legacy as democracy’s sentinel amid adversity.