NEW DELHI, FEB 9: Opposition parties on Monday announced their decision to move a formal no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla following a strategic meeting at the residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. The group intends to submit a notice challenging the Speaker’s neutrality, citing recent disruptions and the suspension of several members.
Senior Left front MP NK Premchandran confirmed the decision, pointing to specific instances where the Chair allegedly restricted opposition voices. He noted that the Speaker prevented Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi from addressing the House during crucial sessions.
“The Speaker also made derogatory comments about women members of the opposition and suspended their eight members,” Premchandran said. “This is high-handedness and we are united against this. We will move a motion of no confidence.”
The friction between the treasury and opposition benches intensified after Gandhi was stopped from referencing an unpublished book regarding the 2020 India-China standoff in Galwan. The Speaker ruled that unpublished works could not be quoted on the floor. Congress MP KC Venugopal added that the administration of the House has become overly restrictive.
“The House is being run like a preserve of the government and this was not acceptable,” Venugopal said.
While the motion is largely seen as a symbolic gesture due to the opposition lacking the necessary numbers in the Lok Sabha to remove the Speaker, leaders described it as a necessary protest against current parliamentary management. The move echoes a similar attempt in December 2024 against the Rajya Sabha Chairman, which was dismissed on technical grounds.
Tensions peaked recently after women members of the opposition positioned themselves near the Prime Minister’s seat during a debate. The Speaker later mentioned that he advised the Prime Minister not to enter the House at that time to avoid potential conflict, which resulted in the Prime Minister delivering his reply in the Rajya Sabha instead.
