Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. (File Photo)

After chairing meetings with floor leaders of all parties to ensure that the House runs smoothly and after almost imploring in vain for days that the protesting MPs go back to their seats without creating ruckus, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is reportedly “hurt” that no one paid heed to his requests for order.

For the second consecutive day on Thursday, the Speaker remained conspicuous by his absence during the proceedings of the House. MPs Bhartruhari Mahtab, Rama Devi, Rajendra Agarwal and Meenakshi Lekhi filled in for Birla as the House witnessed continuous ruckus, first over communal violence in Delhi and then over a remark by Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal. This eventually led to seven Congress MPs getting suspended. In the meetings with Birla, floor leaders of various parties had reportedly “promised” to let the House run smoothly.

No matter what the political temperature of the House, Birla usually chairs the sessions in the morning starting with Question Hour. But this time there was a departure from that routine.

Instead, Mahtab on Thursday assumed the chair at 11 am when the House assembled and conveyed to the protesting Congress MPs that Birla was saddened at the state of the House.

“The honourable Speaker was very sad about the things that happened day before yesterday. You are very much aware of this and some of you must have met him and you must be very much aware that the manner in which the House is getting disrupted does not give any credit to anyone. The honourable Speaker has been very sad,” Mahtab told a group of some 30 MPs from Congress who had been raising slogans.

Sources said Birla was to attend the wedding reception of BJP MP Ganesh Singh’s son in the evening.

During the Question Hour, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari answered a couple of questions, but it got drowned in the din.

At one point, Mahtab asked Congress floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to ask his party MPs to go back to their seats. Soon, he had to adjourn the House till noon.

Chowdhury later said that he had had a word with the Speaker and requested Birla to resume chairing the sessions. “For the last two days, Speaker has been absent from the House and on more than a couple of occasions, I have personally approached and beseeched the Speaker that…please occupy your Chair, the Chair is befitting for you only. Don’t send the Chairman or other Presiding official during the Question Hour,” Chowdhury said.