Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday accused the BJP-led NDA government and the Lok Sabha Speaker of being uninterested in running Parliament, saying he was unable to speak on the Union Budget 2026–27 amid repeated disruptions in the Lok Sabha.
Speaking to reporters outside the House, Tharoor said he had come prepared to participate in the budget discussion but found little scope to do so. “It looks like the government and the Lok Sabha Speaker are not interested in running the House,” he said.
He added that he would return later in the day to attempt speaking again.
Finance minister absent, says Tharoor
Tharoor also pointed to the absence of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the proceedings, suggesting the adjournment was anticipated.
“The finance minister was not even sitting in the House,” he said, adding, “I think they knew that the House would be adjourned.”
Both Houses of Parliament were scheduled to continue discussions on the Union Budget 2026–27 on Monday. The budget was presented by Sitharaman on February 1.
Tharoor on no-confidence move against LS Speaker
Asked about reports that the Opposition was considering a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Tharoor said the decision did not rest with him.
“It is not in my hands; you can ask the high command regarding this,” he said.
Opposition MPs are planning to move a no-confidence motion against the Speaker in the second half of the budget session, amid continued standoffs over parliamentary proceedings, reported ANI.
Parliament disruptions ove India-US trade deal
Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were repeatedly disrupted as Opposition members demanded a discussion on the India-US trade framework.
For the second time in a row on Monday, the House functioned for less than 10 minutes, with no substantive discussion taking place before it was adjourned till 2 pm.
The disruptions started on February 2, when Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from the memoir of former Army Chief General MM Naravane during the Motion of Thanks debate. The China reference triggered sharp exchanges in the House, with defence minister Rajnath Singh and home minister Amit Shah objecting on the grounds that citing an unpublished book amounted to a violation of parliamentary rules.
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