Siddaramaiah terms Modi’s silence in Lok Sabha as ‘cowardice’

A day after attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the India-U.S. interim trade deal, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday termed as “cowardice” Mr. Modi’s silence in Lok Sabha during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.

“For the first time in India’s parliamentary history, this motion was passed without the Prime Minister replying. A Prime Minister who avoids Parliament avoids accountability. What makes this episode even more disturbing is that the government first silenced the Opposition and then chose silence itself,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said on social media platform ‘X’.

Stating that the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to complete his speech when he raised serious national security concerns and sought to place on record a book by former Army chief Gen. M.M. Naravane, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that the “evasive leadership of Mr. Modi did not want Parliament to examine.

“In doing so, the Opposition, which represents a majority of the people of India, was denied its rightful voice. With these questions left unanswered, the Prime Minister chose not to appear in the Lok Sabha at all. A leader confident of his decisions does not hide from debate or run away from the House.”

The Chief Minister said, “When the Opposition is silenced and the Prime Minister runs away, Parliament becomes meaningless. This is part of a larger BJP–RSS pattern — weakening Parliament, abusing constitutional offices and hollowing out India’s democratic institutions. Democracy cannot survive on fear, silence and escape.”

Commenting on the Speaker Om Birla, he said, “The partisan conduct of the Speaker, who justified this unprecedented departure from parliamentary convention, has further damaged the dignity of the Lok Sabha. The Speaker is meant to defend Parliament, not act as a shield for the executive.”