The Opposition has submitted a notice to move a resolution to remove Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla from office, stepping up its confrontation with the Chair amid continued disruptions in the Lower House.
A no-confidence motion carrying 118 signatures has been submitted to the Lok Sabha secretary general Utpal Kumar Singh. The notice was submitted by Congress leaders K Suresh, Gaurav Gogoi and Md Javed.
According to the text of the notice, accessed exclusively by Hindustan Times, the resolution has been moved under Article 94(c) of the Constitution, alleging a “blatantly partisan manner” in the conduct of Lok Sabha proceedings and stating that Leaders of Opposition parties have repeatedly not been allowed to speak – calling it a denial of a basic democratic right.
The letter also refers to recent instances, including Rahul Gandhi not being allowed to complete his speech during the Motion of Thanks discussion and the suspension of eight Opposition MPs.
The move comes against the backdrop of a prolonged logjam in the Lok Sabha. In earlier efforts to break the deadlock, Birla met top government and Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Abhishek Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav and TR Baalu, after an adjournment of the House. Union home minister Amit Shah also met the Speaker later the same day.
Opposition leaders have said their key demands included allowing the Leader of the Opposition to speak and reconsidering the suspension of eight MPs. Congress leader KC Venugopal had earlier hinted at action against the Speaker and accused the Chair of sidelining the Opposition and not allowing its members to raise important issues.
The Lok Sabha has witnessed repeated disruptions, with Opposition benches demanding a discussion on the India–US trade framework.
Parliament Ruckus
The impasse in Lok Sabha began last week after Gandhi brought up excerpts from an unpublished book by former army chief general (retireD) MM Naravane on India-China relations. The logjam didn’t even allow, for the first time in 22 years, the prime minister to reply in the Lok Sabha to the debate on the President’s speech, which was passed through a voice vote last Thursday.
That day, Birla also alleged that he had credible information that many Congress MPs “might have reached the PM’s seat and caused some unexpected incidents” when PM Narendra Modi was originally scheduled to speak on Wednesday – and ultimately did not.
The Opposition has rejected these allegations but a Lok Sabha functionary pointed out that from the very commencement of the proceedings, the atmosphere in the chamber deteriorated sharply, giving rise to serious concerns regarding safety, decorum, and the dignity of parliamentary functioning.
www.hindustantimes.com
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