Om Birla, the speaker of the Lok Sabha, is set to face a vote of no confidence. According to media reports published on Monday (9th February), the opposition is set to move the motion against him in the Parliament. The decision was made during an opposition party meeting at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s chamber which was attended by leaders of the TMC, Left parties, DMK, Samajwadi Party, RJD, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and RSP.
The motion entails a notice period of 20 days and hence the opposition is probably going to introduce it during the second half of the budget session. The charges include: Eight opposition MPs were suspended for the duration of the session, women MPs were named by the chair, some members of the Treasury Bench were always given preference in the house and Lok Sabha LoP (Leader of the Opposition) Rahul Gandhi was not permitted to speak. The vote also challenges the decision to permit BJP MP Nishikant Dubey to read aloud from books that had anti-Congress and anti-Gandhi family content.
“The first being that the LOP was not allowed to speak, and Nishikant Dubey was allowed to say vile things in the House. Second, Birla said in the House that he had received information that Prime Minister Narendra Modi might be attacked, and had asked the PM not to come to the House. Then what Birla said about female MPs planning an attack on the PM in the House. We have had issues with Birla. He is not giving the Opposition space in the house,” The Indian Express cited the allegations listed by an insider.
The source mentioned that opposition female MPs have written to Birla after the accusations against them. “The speaker made derogatory comments about women members of the opposition and suspended their eight members. This is high-handedness and we are united against this. We will move a motion of no confidence,” accused Left front MP NK Premchandran, adding that Gandhi was denied the opportunity to speak in the house, reported The Tribune.
Congress veteran K C Venugopal stated, “Cannot comment on reports, wait for action,” and alleged, “We all know the space and role of the Opposition in parliamentary democracy. The Leader of Opposition acts as a shadow Prime Minister. But in this Parliament when the Leader of Opposition stands up to say something the mic gets switched off. In fact, nobody from the Opposition gets time to speak.”
He added, “This Parliament has become a place where the Opposition has no voice. This Parliament is meant only for the ruling party. Even this morning, all the Opposition parties decided to raise this concern together in Lok Sabha. This has become a one-sided Parliament.”
“The Opposition has a responsibility to expose this government, which is possible only through debates. But we are not allowed to speak. The other day, the speaker raised a very serious allegation against women. I do not understand this. The prime minister, who has boasted of a 54-inch chest, did not come to Parliament because he was scared of some women members. The speaker said so. Was there anything like that,” the Congressman questioned.
He further expressed, “In Parliament, many disruptions had happened. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was not allowed to speak. Now, when such a statement comes from the speaker, shouldn’t we get an explanation? What did the speaker mean by that statement? Did he have any records? Any evidence? The speaker who’s not supposed to take sides is now doing so.”
“If the Congress doesn’t understand even now, then this will become a reason for its fall. It is important to recognise that the Opposition is neither allowing the House to function nor making any positive contribution to the government’s decision-making. Bringing this no-confidence motion proves that they only want to do politics,” countered Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP Rajesh Verma.
The Gandhi scion used the unpublished book of former Army Chief General MM Naravane to make claims about the 2020 confrontation with China, causing a commotion and sloganeering in the Lower House. Afterwards, he was told not to quote the unreleased work by the speaker who also refused to allow the reading to continue.
Birla also warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to visit the house in order to avoid any unpleasant situations after learning that certain Congress parliamentarians could approach his seat and “resort to an unprecedented incident,” This came after female MPs carried playcards and surrounded the prime minsiter’s spot which was empty at the time. He was concerned that the opposition MPs, consisting women, who had intended to obstruct PM Modi’s path, might attack him physically.
Following multiple adjournments due to relentless protests by opposition MPs, Birla declared that he could not lead “such a house” on 6th February (Friday). He mentioned that 19 hours and 13 minutes had been squandered because of interruptions during the present session. Birla added that that he wants the Lok Sabha to function well, conveying that members are elected to discuss concerns rather than yell slogans.
In December 2024, the opposition had submitted a similar motion of no-confidence against former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar who was also serving as chairman of the Rajya Sabha. However, the deputy chairman dismissed it on the grounds that Dhankhar’s name was misspelt and that the requisite 14-day notice that must be issued in such cases was not given.