New Delhi: In an unprecedented development in Parliament, the Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a resolution thanking President Droupadi Murmu for her address to a joint sitting of Parliament during the Budget Session — without a response from the Prime Minister to the Motion of Thanks, marking the first such instance since 2004.
The motion, a formal expression of gratitude for the President’s address, was adopted despite the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reply, which is traditionally delivered after the debate. Modi had been expected to reply to the Motion of Thanks on Wednesday but was unable to do so after repeated disruptions in the House.
On Thursday, the Lok
Sabha sitting, which began at 11 am, was adjourned soon after INDIA bloc MPs raised slogans targeting PM Modi and the Centre, reported Hindustan Times.
Opposition MPs raised the issue of the alleged denial of the right to speak to Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the lower house. Gandhi was allegedly not being able to quote General MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir on the 2020 China standoff in the Parliament.
Significance of the Move:
This is the first such occurrence since 2004, underscoring the heightened tensions in the Lower House during the ongoing Budget Session. The resolution passed by voice vote despite the absence of the traditional prime ministerial reply — a procedural departure from established parliamentary practice.
What happened in 2004?
Back then, the BJP had stopped then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from responding to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh had shared a video on X of Singh’s address from March 10, 2005.