New Delhi: Tensions in India’s Parliament are set to escalate as Opposition parties gear up to introduce a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday, marking a rare challenge to the presiding officer’s position amid accusations of bias.
The move stems from the stormy first phase of the Budget session, where Opposition leaders, including Congress’s Rahul Gandhi, claimed they were denied adequate time to speak during the debate on the President’s address. At least 118 MPs from parties like Congress, the Samajwadi Party, and DMK signed the notice, tabled by Congress MP K Suresh. Notably, the Trinamool Congress abstained from endorsing it.
In a display of ethical restraint, Birla has stepped back from presiding over the House since the notice was issued. During the motion’s discussion, he will join the Treasury benches and may defend his actions. Under Articles 94 and 96 of the Constitution, the Speaker can be removed by a simple majority vote, conducted via secret ballot slips rather than electronic voting.
This isn’t unprecedented; similar motions against former Speakers like G. V. Mavalankar, Hukum Singh, and Balram Jakhar were all defeated in the past. However, the current standoff highlights deepening rifts between the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc.
Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress have issued three-line whips, mandating their MPs’ presence to ensure a full House. As the Winter Session resumes, this showdown could disrupt proceedings and test parliamentary norms.
Political analysts view it as a symbolic protest, unlikely to succeed given the NDA’s majority, but it underscores growing frustrations over perceived impartiality in the Lower House.