Women Members of Parliament from the Congress in the Lok Sabha have written to Speaker Om Birla, accusing him of making grave allegations against them under pressure from the ruling party to justify Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “non-appearance” in the House.

In a letter sent on Monday, the MPs urged Birla to act as an impartial custodian of the Lower House and expressed anguish over statements he made following the passage of the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address without the Prime Minister’s customary reply.

The letter comes days after Birla told the House that he had “concrete information” that several Congress MPs might move towards the Prime Minister’s seat and carry out “some unexpected act,” prompting him to request Modi not to attend the House to reply to the debate.

The Congress women MPs said that, “clearly pressured by the ruling party to defend the ‘non-appearance of the Prime Minister’,” the Speaker issued a statement making serious allegations against them.

“We are being targeted simply because we have consistently fought against Prime Minister Narender Modi's anti-people government and demanded accountability from him. His absence from the House was not due to any threat from us, it was an act of fear,” said the letter signed by MPs including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jyothimani, R Sudha, Varsha Gaikwad and Jyotsna Mahant.

“He (PM) did not have the courage to face the Opposition. We are Members of Parliament from the Indian National Congress, a party that stands for love, peace, constitutional values, and human dignity. We do not believe in violence and intimidation. We are brave women elected representatives who will not be silenced by intimidation,” the Congress’ women MPs said.

“We believe that transparency is the only way to restore the dignity of the Speaker's office and the credibility of this House,” they added.

The MPs said they had the utmost respect for the Speaker’s office, but expressed concern over what they described as sustained pressure from the ruling party.

“However, it is amply clear that you are under sustained pressure from the ruling party. We urge you once again to act as the impartial custodian of the Lok Sabha. We will stand with you and support you wholeheartedly in this endeavour,” they said.

“Let history remember you as one who stood for what was right in the most trying circumstances and upheld constitutional propriety for the good of the nation. Let it not remember you as one who bowed to pressure from those who leave no stone unturned in subverting constitutional values and damaging the democratic fabric of our nation,” the MPs added.

Writing with what they described as deep anguish and a strong sense of constitutional responsibility, the women MPs said it was “extremely unfortunate” that the Speaker had been compelled to make “false, baseless, and defamatory allegations against women Members of Parliament belonging to the Opposition, particularly from the Indian National Congress.”

“The Speaker's Chair is a constitutional office meant to protect the dignity of Parliament, ensure fairness, and safeguard the rights of all Members, irrespective of party affiliation,” they said.

Referring to parliamentary convention, the MPs noted that during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, both the ruling party and the opposition are allowed to speak before the Prime Minister replies.

“Yet, for the past four consecutive days, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, has been deliberately denied this opportunity in the Lok Sabha. This is unprecedented and indefensible,” they said.

They also alleged that eight MPs from the INDIA bloc were suspended at the behest of the ruling party, while a BJP MP was allowed to speak in a vulgar and obscene manner about former prime ministers.

“When we met you, we demanded justice and the suspension of the above-mentioned BJP MP, you acknowledged that a grave mistake had occurred and asked us to return at 4 pm. Upon meeting you again, you stated that you were awaiting the government's response regarding the issue, indicating that you are no longer the decision maker in such matters,” the MPs said.

“This raises serious questions regarding your authority as Speaker of the House. Subsequently, at 5 pm, violating conventional procedure, the prime minister was scheduled to speak in the Lok Sabha. All members of the INDIA alliance rose in protest and the prime minister failed to appear in the house,” they added.

The MPs further said that the following day, “clearly pressured by the ruling party to defend the non-appearance of the prime minister,” the Speaker made statements alleging misconduct by Congress women MPs.

In an unprecedented development, the Lok Sabha passed the Motion of Thanks last Thursday without the Prime Minister’s reply, which had been scheduled a day earlier amid continued sloganeering by Opposition members.

An anguished Speaker had told the House that he had “concrete information” about a possible attempt by Congress MPs to approach the Prime Minister’s seat and carry out “some unexpected act,” warning that such an incident would have left the country’s democratic traditions in “shreds.”

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi later told reporters in the Parliament House complex that it was an “absolute lie” that there was any plan to harm Modi, alleging that the Prime Minister was “hiding behind” the Speaker.