What unfolded in the Lok Sabha on February 4, 2026, was quite extraordinary. Just about 15 minutes before the Prime Minister's address, the opposition appeared fully ready with posters and banners. Dimple Yadav was seen with Samajwadi Party MPs, Abhishek Banerjee with Trinamool Congress (TMC) representatives, and KC Venugopal was strategizing with Congress MPs.
The opposition stood united in their cause. Leaders were devising tactics in small groups on how to protest during Prime Minister Modi's speech.
I took my seat in the Lok Sabha gallery at 4:35 PM to witness the proceedings. At 4:40 PM, I observed Dimple Yadav of the Samajwadi Party entering with other leaders, including Awadhesh Prasad and Dharmendra Yadav.
Each opposition party arrived with their distinctive posters and banners. Samajwadi Party MPs displayed images of Ahilyabai Holkar.
TMC MPs received directions from Kalyan Banerjee. At 4:50 PM, I noticed Abhishek Banerjee entering the assembly with Mahua Moitra. They engaged in a lengthy discussion with Kalyan Banerjee before moving on to converse with Awadhesh Prasad of the SP, showcasing a clear display of opposition unity in the House.
Eight minutes before the Prime Minister’s speech, at precisely 4:52 PM, Priyanka Gandhi entered the Lok Sabha and took her seat quietly.
KC Venugopal was engrossed in planning with Congress MPs. Their goal was clear: to create a commotion and wave posters and banners during the Prime Minister's speech. At 5 PM, Sandhya Roy (BJP MP from Bhind, Madhya Pradesh) took the Speaker’s seat.
Within seconds, Congress MPs like Geniben Nagaji Thakor, Varsha Gaikwad, and Pratibha Suresh Dhanorkar along with Wasim, Imran Masood, and other opposition MPs arrived in the well carrying large posters.
The situation quickly deteriorated when MPs began moving from the well towards the treasury benches. BJP leaders Ashwini Vaishnaw, Anurag Thakur, Kiren Rijiju, and Nishikant Dubey were taken by surprise, leading to commotion in the House.
Within just two minutes, at 5:02 PM, Speaker Sandhya Roy adjourned the Lok Sabha proceedings for the day.
As BJP leaders attempted to manage the situation, female MPs called out to Nishikant Dubey, who was heading out, while returning to their seats.
Following Dubey, Geniben Nagaji Thakor, Varsha Gaikwad, and Pratibha Suresh Dhanorkar walked, requesting him to turn around.
Even with the Lok Sabha adjourned, I remained in the gallery as the atmosphere was extremely tense. It seemed, for a moment, that there might be a clash between the opposition and the ruling parties.
At 5:06 PM, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Piyush Goyal, Kiren Rijiju, and Anurag Thakur approached opposition leaders for discussions to de-escalate the situation. Vaishnaw placed a reassuring hand on Deepender Hooda’s shoulder in an effort to calm him down.
I noticed the top opposition leaders—Priyanka Gandhi, Abhishek Banerjee, Dimple Yadav, and Supriya Sule—observing the scene calmly. Following the suspension announcement, they began to exit the House.
As a few minutes passed, normalcy resumed, with opposition MPs retracting and BJP MPs also making their way out of the assembly.
