The Congress Lok Sabha MPs are holding a meeting at the Congress Parliamentary Party office to finalise the party’s floor strategy for the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament.
This comes after tensions between the Treasury benches and the Opposition in the Lok Sabha intensified on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, as eight Opposition MPs, seven from the Congress and one from the CPI(M), were suspended for the remainder of the Budget session.
The suspension came in response to unruly behavior during protests over Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi being denied the opportunity to speak on former Army Chief General (Retired) Manoj Naravane’s unpublished memoir.
Party leaders are expected to deliberate on a range of issues, including trade policy, parliamentary conduct, and the government’s legislative agenda, ahead of coordinated action during proceedings in the House.
The proceedings in the Lok Sabha were adjourned thrice amid fierce protests and heated exchanges between the ruling BJP and opposition parties. The House was first adjourned minutes after the session began at 11 am, and again at noon. The House was again adjourned till 3 pm following uproar over the Opposition’s insistence to quote former Army Chief MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir.
The storm began with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi persistently raising the sensitive issue of India-China relations during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address. Gandhi underscored national security concerns, highlighting the China-US conflict’s centrality to India’s global stance and questioning the Prime Minister’s response to the 2020 India-China border standoff, even placing an article on the matter for parliamentary authentication.
On the suspension of eight Opposition MPs, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “What is new here? You see this happening in every session. They are doing it even more now. It is not just a case of LoP not being allowed to speak; it is a fundamental issue of democracy and of the way the Parliament works. Parliament is the temple of democracy…What is the problem if someone presents their views? They are scared of what would come out of it.”
She also said, “He (Rahul Gandhi) is quoting from a published source. He even authenticated it yesterday.
So, what is the problem if he speaks They (NDA) quote from books and magazine articles when they speak. As long as it is a published source, it is okay.”
They did not allow the publication of the book. As far as I know, the book has things that show the reaction of PM, HM and Defence Minister and our top leadership in the face of crisis. This clearly shows their character and that of their Govt, that when the country is being attacked and Chinese troops are coming to our border, how they are reacting. Epstein Files have been released and it states how the Govt contacted him, a convicted sex trafficker, a convicted child sex offender. So, how was he being used…This is also an authenticated document. What will be discussed in Parliament, if not this.”
The meeting comes a day after heated scenes in the Lok Sabha, where proceedings were disrupted following remarks by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who referred to an unpublished book by former Army Chief General MM Naravane. The confrontation between the opposition and the Treasury benches led to the suspension of eight opposition MPs for the remainder of the session on charges of violating House rules and “throwing papers at the Chair.”
Those suspended include Congress MPs Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Prashant Yadaorao Padole, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, and Dean Kuriakose, along with CPI(M) MP S. Venkatesan.
Rahul Gandhi has also written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, expressing concern that he was prevented from speaking on issues related to national security during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.
