Women MPs of the Congress party on Monday (February 9, 2026) told Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s absence from the House during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address was not due to any threat from them, but was “an act of fear” as Mr. Modi did not have the courage to face the Opposition.
In a letter to Mr. Birla, the women MPs said they were being targeted simply because they had “consistently fought against PM Modi’s anti-people government and demanded accountability from him.” The letter was signed by MPs including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jyotsna Charandas Mahant, R. Sudha, Varsha Eknath Gaikwad and S. Jothimani.
Parliament Budget Session updates on February 9, 2026
The letter comes days after the Speaker had said in the House that he had “concrete information” that many Congress members might move towards Mr. Modi’s seat and carry out “some unexpected act”, and thus he had requested him not to come to the House to reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.
The Lok Sabha last week passed the Motion of Thanks without the Prime Minister’s customary reply that was scheduled a day earlier in the face of relentless protests by Opposition members.
