Venugopal on Thursday (February 5, 2026) wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla alleging “serious procedural irregularities” and questioning the “authenticity” of the procedure adopted to pass the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address without the customary reply by the Prime Minister. “In the present case, neither did the Hon’ble Prime Minister reply to the debate nor was the House informed about his inability to do so. This clearly amounts to a violation of provisions of Rule 20,” the Congress leader wrote. MPs were “confused and pained” by the departure from established rules and requested a detailed explanation of the procedure adopted, Mr. Venugopal said. A proper analysis of the concerned Rules and the procedure adopted by you in this regard will greatly benefit the House,” he added.

Source: The Hindu February 05, 2026 17:10 UTC