NEW DELHI: Opposition parties on Tuesday submitted a notice of no-confidence against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, escalating their confrontation with the government over the conduct of parliamentary proceedings. Sources said the notice had garnered the signatures of over 100 MPs. Under Article 94(c) of the Constitution, the Speaker can be removed by a resolution passed by the Lok Sabha after a mandatory 14-day notice period. The move follows days of deliberations among INDIA bloc leaders amid repeated disruptions in the House.
The Opposition has cited a range of grievances, including the refusal to allow Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to speak, the suspension of Opposition members, and alleged inaction against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey over his remarks. Leaders have also objected to claims that women MPs posed a threat to the Prime Minister.On Monday, senior Congress leader K C Venugopal signalled imminent action, criticising the functioning of the Lok Sabha. “As per the Parliamentary rules, the Leader of Opposition is a shadow Prime Minister. But here, the LoP is not being allowed to speak in the House. The government can say anything and attack anyone,” he said.Venugopal also alleged bias on the part of the Speaker. “The Speaker is himself making allegations against the Congress women MPs, but there is no space for the opposition in this House at all and they are not even allowed… This kind of attitude against the opposition never happened before… wait for the action,” he said. Referring to trade discussions with Washington, he added, “US-India trade deal was somewhat shocking and the Leader of Opposition wants to mention a few things about it to the Speaker, but that was also not allowed. The government wants to preserve the Parliament for itself.”The Opposition’s move was discussed at meetings attended by INDIA bloc leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, with some parties initially suggesting that a formal letter of grievances be submitted to the Speaker before taking the extreme step. Sources said another meeting was held on Tuesday morning to take a final call on the timing.The government, however, played down the development. Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said the Opposition lacked the numbers to carry the resolution.The no-confidence move comes amid a prolonged logjam in the Lok Sabha, with repeated adjournments following protests by Opposition members over the denial of speaking time during key debates, including the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.
