'Ask, Don’t Tell Mahabharata Stories': Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Advises MPs During Question Hour

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday advised members to focus on asking direct questions rather than narrating stories or invoking the Mahabharat during the Question Hour.

“Do not tell stories, ask the question (aap Mahabharat mat sunao, aap prashna poocho),” Birla said, emphasising that MPs should avoid lengthy narratives.

He remarked, “Invoking the Mahabharat is currently in vogue (aaj kal, Mahabharat sunane ka kissa zyada chala hai yahan par),” noting that references to the epic are becoming increasingly common in the House.

The Speaker’s comments came after BJP MP Pradip Purohit reference to an ayurvedic college, where he traced the history of local herbs back to ancient times during a question to the Union Ayush Minister.

Birla’s remarks were also made in the context of a speech earlier in the week by Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who claimed that the country is being ensnared in a ‘chakravyuh‘ created by a small group.

“In the 21st century, another ‘chakravyuh’ has been prepared. It is in the form of lotus and the prime minister (Narendra Modi) wears the symbol on his chest. What was done with Abhinmanyu is being done with India, with its youth, women, farmers and small and medium businesses,” he had said.

Gandhi’s speech included references to the Mahabharat and accused the Modi government’s 2024 Union Budget of favoring big businesses and political monopolies that undermine democratic structures.

In response, BJP leader and former Union minister Anurag Thakur had criticised Gandhi’s speech, listing historical grievances he attributed to the Congress, including the Partition of India, concessions to China, the Emergency, the Bofors scandal, anti-Sikh riots, and alleged attacks on India’s culture and traditions.

Thakur had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the country out of the ‘chakravyuh‘ of the Congress.

Gandhi’s reference was to the Mahabharat legend according to which Abhimanyu was killed in a ‘chakravyuh‘.

‘Chakravyuh‘ refers to a multi-layered military formation aimed at trapping a warrior by opponents placed strategically in an alignment resembling a lotus-shaped labyrinth.

(With inputs from PTI)