File photo: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla
NEW DELHI: A resolution seeking the removal of Om Birla as Speaker was defeated in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday by a voice vote amid protests and sloganeering by opposition members demanding an apology from Union home minister Amit Shah.With Speaker Birla absent during the debate, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was presiding over the proceedings, announced that the no-confidence motion had been rejected after the vote.Opposition members continued their protests in the House, prompting Pal to urge them to return to their seats so that the motion could be put to vote. As the protests persisted, he proceeded with the voice vote, after which the resolution was declared defeated and the House was adjourned for the day.
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Amit Shah criticises opposition over motion
Earlier, Shah strongly criticised the opposition for bringing the motion against the Speaker, saying such an occurrence was rare in parliamentary history.“It is not an ordinary occurrence as after nearly four decades such a motion has been brought against the Speaker,” Shah said, according to PTI.He said it was unfortunate for parliamentary politics that opposition parties were questioning the integrity of the Speaker. “According to the established history of this House, its proceedings are conducted on the basis of mutual trust. The Speaker serves as a neutral custodian, representing both the ruling party and the opposition,” Shah said.He added that the House would function according to its rules and not the rules of any political party.“The House will be run by its own rules and not by the rules of a party,” Shah said.
Opposition protests disrupt proceedings
During Shah’s remarks, opposition members objected to certain statements and began shouting slogans, demanding that the home minister apologise.The protests disrupted the proceedings of the House and continued as the motion was put to vote.Shah also said the Bharatiya Janata Party had spent a long period in the opposition but had never brought a no-confidence motion against a Speaker.He said that in India’s parliamentary history, such motions had been introduced only a few times.“This is a regrettable event for both parliamentary politics and the House. Because the Speaker does not belong to any party, the Speaker belongs to the House,” Shah said.He added that questioning the integrity of the Speaker amounted to casting doubts on democratic processes.
