Opposition Moves to Remove Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Citing Silencing of Rahul Gandhi and Breakdown of Norms
Opposition parties led by the Congress on Tuesday submitted a formal notice seeking the removal of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, escalating an ongoing confrontation with the government over the conduct of parliamentary proceedings during the Budget Session. The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 p.m. amid continued disruptions.
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| Representational Collage, Via: Alok Sharma |
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said the notice was submitted at 1:14 p.m. and accused the Speaker of conducting House business in a “blatantly partisan manner.”
He said Opposition parties had repeatedly raised concerns that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had not been allowed to speak on multiple occasions, including during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.
According to Opposition sources, the notice bears 119 signatures from MPs belonging to the Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, RJD and Left parties.
Members of the Trinamool Congress have not signed the resolution. Rahul Gandhi has also not signed, as one of the charges cited in the notice relates to his own exclusion from debate.
The notice alleges that eight Opposition MPs were suspended for the remainder of the Budget Session for what the Opposition described as the exercise of democratic rights, while a BJP MP was permitted to make personalised attacks on two former Prime Ministers without facing disciplinary action, despite requests from Opposition benches.
The document further objects to remarks made by the Speaker in the House stating that he had “concrete information” that Congress MPs might move towards the Prime Minister’s seat and carry out “some unexpected act,” calling the statement defamatory and an abuse of the constitutional office.
Separately, eight women MPs from the Congress wrote to the Speaker on Monday, alleging that they were being targeted for demanding accountability from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The letter rejected any suggestion of threatening behaviour and said the Prime Minister’s absence from the Lok Sabha during the Motion of Thanks was “not due to any threat” but a political decision.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh invoked parliamentary precedent, recalling the 1954 debate on a resolution to remove Speaker G.V. Mavalankar, during which Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had argued that the Opposition should be given more time than the government benches. Ramesh cited the episode to underline what he described as a departure from parliamentary convention.
The government sought to downplay the development, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stating that the Opposition did not have the numbers to carry the resolution. He maintained that parliamentary business was being conducted in accordance with established rules.
The move comes amid a prolonged logjam in the Lok Sabha, marked by repeated adjournments following Opposition protests over the denial of speaking time during key debates, including the Union Budget and the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.
Proceedings are scheduled to resume later in the day, though Opposition leaders have indicated that the standoff is likely to continue unless their procedural demands are addressed.