15 minutes to PM's speech, Lok Sabha slid into chaos: A firsthand account
India Today
India Today's Aishwarya Paliwal provides a step-by-step eyewitness account of the Lok Sabha drama as women opposition MPs marched toward BJP leaders, just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to address the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address, which was postponed at the last moment.
What I witnessed in the Lok Sabha was unprecedented. Fifteen minutes before the Prime Minister was scheduled to speak, it was the opposition that was arming itself with posters and banners. Dimple Yadav was with Samajwadi Party MPs, Abhishek Banerjee with TMC MPs, and KC Venugopal with Congress MPs.
The opposition was united in their cause. In smaller groups, they were strategising on what they thought was the best approach when the Prime Minister spoke.
I was seated in the gallery by 4:35 pm to get a bird’s-eye view of the Lok Sabha. I saw Samajwadi Party’s Dimple Yadav arrive at 4:40 pm along with other SP leaders, including Avdesh Prasad and Dharmendra Yadav.
Each opposition party had brought its own banners and posters. Samajwadi Party MPs were holding pictures of Ahilyabai Holkar.
TMC MPs were being guided by Kalyan Banerjee. I saw Abhishek Banerjee walk in with Mahua Moitra at 4:50 pm. He spoke with Kalyan Banerjee at length, then walked up to Awadhesh Prasad of the SP, and the two leaders conversed.
I witnessed opposition bonhomie on full display on the floor.
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