Day after Mahua Moitra’s protest: Speaker condemns comments on Chair, Opposition members agree

But Moitra was unfazed. Talking to The Indian Express, she said Opposition leaders were “bound to agree with the Speaker by protocol of Parliamentary system”. That, she said over telephone from Goa, “does not mean they rallied behind him (Speaker).”

In Lok Sabha on Friday, Birla said lawmakers should see that dignity of the House and the Chair is protected both inside and outside the House.

“This is the dignity of Parliamentary democracy and I hope you all will agree with this. I have taken serious cognisance of incidents that had happened in the past few days. I want to request all members that commenting on the Chair, especially outside the House using social media and media, is not right,” Birla said in a statement in Lok Sabha, without naming Moitra.

Leaders from all parties, including TMC, agreed and pledged their support to the Speaker. TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said, “We are certainly of the opinion that prestige of the House should always be kept at a level where we should all remain committed to principles, ideas and philosophy of this House.”

On Thursday, Moitra had protested vehemently when BJP MP Rema Devi, who was in the Chair at the time, asked her to wind up her speech. When Rema Devi called the next speaker’s name, Moitra rushed to the well of the House. Later, she tweeted: “LS Speaker had allotted AT LEAST 13 mins to me, when confronted in his chamber he claimed he was not in chair hence can’t be blamed. When further cornered he said “It was my greatness that I even allowed you 13 mins in 1st place.”

“Unbelievable,” she tweeted. “And who is Chair to interrupt me (taking up MY valuable time) to lecture me on whether I should speak with gussa or pyar? None of your business Madam. You can only correct me on rules. You are NOT the moral science teacher for LS.” Rema Devi told her: “Mahua-ji, thoda sa prem se boliye. Itna gussa mat kariye. Achchhe se boliye (Please talk in a mellow manner. Don’t get angry; say it in a good way).”

On Friday, Moitra told The Indian Express from Goa: “I believe the Speaker is pained. As an MP, (I feel) nobody would disrespect the Chair. However, I only wish the Speaker’s pain is also reserved for Opposition MPs, who were heckled, abused, not given their time, and not allowed to speak…” She said, “I would hope that any impartial Chair of the largest democracy in the world would remember that the House belongs to the Opposition, and that the Speaker is there to guarantee rights of the minority of even one, and not flow with the majority.” Moitra said her party leader had to agree, as “he had no option”.