In a move that could further sharpen the confrontation between the government and the Opposition, the INDIA bloc is preparing to move a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) also backing the move.
Sources said the Opposition wants to move the motion as soon as possible and signatures for the same are being collected.
The decision follows escalating tensions between the Speaker and the Opposition, triggered by Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi being stopped from quoting or referring to the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General M M Naravane (Retd).
The standoff peaked on Thursday after the Lok Sabha passed the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address without Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address.
Birla told the House that he had “credible information” that some Congress MPs were planning to create an “unprecedented incident” by approaching the Prime Minister’s seat, and said he had therefore requested Modi not to attend the House on Wednesday when he was scheduled to speak.
Sources said this statement, along with other developments, would form the basis of the no-confidence motion.
An Opposition leader told The Indian Express that several charges against Birla were discussed at a meeting on Monday. “First, the LoP was not allowed to speak while (BJP MP) Nishikant Dubey was allowed to make vile remarks in the House. Second, the Speaker claimed to have inputs that the Prime Minister could be attacked in the House and that he asked the PM not to attend. Third, the Speaker spoke about women MPs allegedly planning an attack on the Prime Minister. We have repeatedly faced issues with the Speaker. He is not giving the Opposition space in the House,” the source said.
Recent proceedings unfortunate: Venugopal
Describing the recent proceedings of the House as “very unfortunate”, AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said, “In a parliamentary democracy, the LoP has a defined role and acts as a shadow Prime Minister. But in this Parliament, when the LoP stands up, the microphone is switched off. No Opposition member is allowed to speak. This Parliament has become one-sided and meant only for the ruling party.”
Venugopal said that even though all Opposition parties had agreed that the LoP would raise concerns in the Lok Sabha on Monday, he was not given “even a second” to do so. “The Opposition has a responsibility to expose the government through debate. But we are not allowed to speak,” he said.
He also questioned the Speaker’s remarks about women MPs. “The Speaker made a very serious allegation against women MPs of the Congress. He suggested that the Prime Minister did not come to Parliament because he was scared of women members. Was there anything like that? Does the Speaker have any evidence? The Speaker is not supposed to take sides, but that is what is happening,” Venugopal said.
On Monday, the Congress’s Karur MP S Jothimani wrote to Birla over what she termed “false, baseless and defamatory allegations against women MPs of the Opposition”. “… eight members of Parliament from the INDIA alliance were suspended at the behest of the ruling party and a BJP MP was permitted to speak in a vulgar and obscene manner about former PMs,” she said.
Last week, the Lok Sabha saw repeated clashes between the Opposition and the Speaker. The Opposition boycotted proceedings after Gandhi was stopped from quoting from Naravane’s memoir. As Gandhi tried to raise national security concerns, the Chair curtailed his speech for defying directions and called on the next speaker to address the House.
After eight Opposition MPs were suspended, Gandhi wrote to Birla saying he had followed instructions to authenticate the magazine report, but was still prevented from speaking, in violation of a “long-standing convention” allowing members to quote or refer to authenticated documents.
On Friday, after repeated adjournments amid protests, Speaker Birla said he could not run “such a House”, noting that 19 hours and 13 minutes had been lost due to disruptions during the current session. He said Parliament was meant for raising issues, not shouting slogans.
This is not the first time the Opposition has mooted a no-confidence motion against Birla. In March 2023, following Gandhi’s disqualification as Lok Sabha MP, the Congress had considered moving a no-confidence motion against Birla, though it did not materialise.
Under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha, a member seeking the removal of the Speaker or Deputy Speaker must submit a written notice to the Secretary-General. A motion for leave to move such a resolution can be listed only after 14 days from receipt of the notice, on a day fixed by the Speaker.
In the past, resolutions seeking the removal of the Speaker have been moved thrice — against G V Malvankar in 1951, Sardar Hukam Singh in 1966, and Balram Jakhar in 1987.