‘Threat’ to PM on Feb 4 was real, says Lok Sabha Secretariat

Listing the events of February 4, when PM Narendra Modi was to speak in the Lok Sabha at 5 pm but was advised by Birla not to come due to the ongoing agitation by the Opposition, sources said. Amid chaos, several women MPs moved aggressively towards the PM's seat, forming a virtual cordon around it.

"Certain women members crossed over to the Treasury benches carrying banners and placards, adopting an openly confrontational posture. They not only laid siege to the PM seat but also advanced deep into the Treasury Benches, encroaching upon the space where senior ministers were seated, heightening the sense of disorder and insecurity within the chamber," the sources said.

Officials added that later when Opposition MPs visited the Speaker’s chamber, they "used an unparliamentary, threatening tone, saying -- “dekhte hain PM kya karte hain".

"Such conduct underscored the volatility of the situation that day. The Speaker had genuine concerns regarding the safety of the PM and advised him not to come," they said, terming the Opposition’s claims that there was no imminent threat to the PM as "entirely baseless".

The Speaker’s assertion reflects not conjecture or exaggeration, but a responsible and conscientious discharge of his duty to protect Parliament and all its members, top LS sources said. They added, "The Speaker's advice to the PM not to enter the chamber at that juncture was guided solely by the need to ensure the smooth functioning of parliamentary business and to safeguard the dignity and sanctity of the institution. The Speaker’s foremost constitutional responsibility is to maintain decorum, propriety of the House and order and his actions were firmly anchored in this obligation."

Secretariat officials were responding to Opposition statements that the Speaker's advice to the PM not to come to the House to reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address was devoid of facts and that there was no imminent threat to the PM.

"The Speaker's statement must be viewed in the backdrop of the unprecedented disorder in the House that day. From the commencement of proceedings, the atmosphere deteriorated sharply, raising serious concerns regarding the safety and dignity of parliamentary functioning," the sources said.

They said Opposition MPs entered the Well and later "the situation escalated rapidly as certain MPs climbed onto tables, tore official papers and hurled them towards the Chair".

These acts signified a complete breakdown of discipline, drawing widespread attention and concern both within the House and beyond, in India and abroad, the LS sources said.