New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) Sticking to its combative stand in the Lok Sabha, the Congress on Thursday claimed that there was nothing unprecedented about the Leader of the House being prevented from replying to the Motion of Thanks by protesting Opposition members.

Jairam Ramesh, Congress MP and party General Secretary incharge of communications, shared an old video footage of Lok Sabha proceedings in which the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh informs the House that he was prevented from replying to the Motion of Thanks on June 10, 2004.

Ramesh wrote on social media, “This is the video of Dr Manmohan Singh’s speech on March 10, 2005 – where he refers to the fact that he was prevented from replying to the Motion of Thanks on June 10, 2004.”

“To recall and remind – on June 10, 2004, the Prime Minister was prevented by the BJP from speaking on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address,” said Congress leader Ramesh in the backdrop of the similar logjam in Lok Sabha at present.

His remarks came on a day when the Lok Sabha passed the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, without the formal reply by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid constant sloganeering by the Opposition MPs.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address in Parliament, slated for 5 p.m., was postponed, as the Lok Sabha was adjourned till Thursday morning, over continued uproar and vociferous sloganeering from the Opposition members.

Over the past two days, Opposition members have repeatedly clashed with the Treasury Benches over the denial of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi’s speech, citing excerpts from an article based on unpublished memoirs of former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane.

The LoP earlier claimed that the book contained references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The claims triggered strong protests from the Treasury Benches, with members demanding that LoP Gandhi adhere to parliamentary rules and present only “authentic sources” inside the House.

–IANS

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