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✍️ Written by Saket Suman A day after the Lok Sabha rejected an opposition resolution seeking his removal, Speaker Om Birla returned to the Chair on March 12 and used a nearly 26-minute address to frame the two-day confrontation as a test of whether Parliament would be governed by procedure, restraint and institutional authority.  Speaking after the House defeated the motion by voice vote yesterday, Birla said the Chair was “not any individual’s possession” but a symbol of “India’s democratic tradition, the spirit of the Constitution and the prestige of this great institution,” and pledged to discharge his duties with “full commitment, impartiality and constitutional propriety.” File Photo of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla The core of Birla’s defence was clear. Every member, whether a minister, opposition leader or backbencher, has the right to speak only within rules laid down by the House, and no office-bearer is entitled to speak outside proce...

✍️ Written by Saket Suman Leader of the Opposition in India's Lower House of Parliament  Rahul Gandhi triggered a sharp political confrontation in Parliament after linking India’s energy security concerns arising from the West Asia war with questions about Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s past correspondence with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein , and prompted the government and the Speaker to accuse him of straying beyond the issue he had sought to raise. The exchange unfolded in the Lok Sabha after Rahul Gandhi sought permission to raise concerns about a reported LPG shortage and the wider energy implications of the ongoing war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which has disrupted shipping and fuel flows through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes. Representational Image Via INC India During his intervention, Rahul Gandhi warned that the conflict could trigger a major energy s...

✍️ Written by Saket Suman Leader of the Opposition in India's Lower House of Parliament Lok Sabha,  Rahul Gandhi  today mounted a wide-ranging attack on the government and  linked the widening West Asia war, India’s energy security and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while questioning whether India’s oil policy is being influenced by Washington. Speaking during a parliamentary debate , Rahul Gandhi warned that the conflict could trigger serious economic repercussions for India because of its dependence on Gulf energy supplies and the vulnerability of the Strait of Hormuz , through which a large share of India’s oil and gas imports pass. File Photo: LoP RaGa “As everybody is aware, a war has broken out in the Middle East. The US, Israel and Iran are at war,” Rahul Gandhi told the House. “This war is going to have far-reaching consequences.” He said the conflict h...

India told Parliament on Monday that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path to de-escalate the widening war in West Asia, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar warning that the conflict poses serious risks to global energy flows , shipping routes and the safety of millions of Indians living in the Gulf region. Addressing both the hoses of the Parliament separately amid loud protests from opposition benches, Jaishankar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was closely monitoring developments while multiple ministries were coordinating responses to the fast-evolving security situation in the Middle East. Image Source: ANI Screengrab of Sansad TV on X “Our government had issued a statement expressing deep concern and urging all sides to exercise restraint,” Jaishankar said . “We continue to believe that dialogue and diplomacy should be pursued to de-escalate the tensions.” The minister said stability in West Asia remained vital for India’s economic interests, given th...

India’s Parliament reconvenes on Monday under the shadow of a widening war in West Asia, with External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar scheduled to brief the Lok Sabha on the fast-evolving war between Iran, Israel, and the United States. According to the revised list of business circulated on Sunday evening, EAM Jaishankar will make an official statement in the Lower House on the situation in West Asia when the second half of the Budget Session begins.  Sansad TV Screengrab of EAM Jaishankar by ANI The announcement comes amid mounting concern in New Delhi over the safety of Indian nationals across the Gulf and wider West Asian region as military strikes and retaliatory missile attacks continue to escalate. The Ministry of External Affairs earlier said the government has already facilitated the return of more than 52,000 Indians between March 1 and March 7 after partial reopening of regional airspace. Commercial and special flights have been operating to bring stranded tr...

India’s Parliament saw a fresh political clash on Wednesday, February 11, after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi used the Lok Sabha debate on the Union Budget 2026–27 to attack the India–US interim trade deal and allege that it compromises India’s interests on data, energy security and farming. This prompted the government to accuse him of making unsubstantiated claims and to signal action to remove or expunge parts of his remarks from the House record. Image Source: Who_Care on X Speaking during the Budget discussion, Rahul Gandhi argued that India is entering an era of heightened geopolitical conflict and “energy and financial weaponisation,” and said the country’s core strengths—its people, the data they generate, food supply and energy—must be protected.  He alleged that the interim deal represented a “wholesale surrender,” claiming it involved “free data flow” to the United States, no data localisation, limits on digital taxation, and no requirement for source code disclo...

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. Representational Collage, Via: Alok Sharma Chief Whip of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Kodikunnil Suresh and party Whip Mohammed Jawed Ahmed handed over the notice to Lok Sabha Secretary-General Utpal Kumar Singh, sources confirmed. The motion has been moved under Article 94(c) of the Constitution, which allows a resolution for the removal of the Speaker to be submitted with a mandatory 14-day notice period. 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...

India’s Budget Session entered a fresh day of disruption on Monday, February 9, 2026, with the Lok Sabha adjourned for the day amid a continuing confrontation between the government and the Opposition over Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi ’s insistence that he be allowed to speak before the general discussion on the Union Budget 2026-27 begins.  The stand-off unfolded as Parliament was scheduled to start its first full round of debate on the budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, even as the Rajya Sabha proceeded with a day-long discussion on budget priorities, fiscal policy and competing claims about growth, jobs and the distribution of central resources among States. File Photo of LoP RaGa; Via: Bharat Jodo on X The Lok Sabha opened with Speaker Om Birla congratulating India’s Under-19 men’s cricket team for its World Cup victory before Question Hour began, but proceedings were quickly interrupted by Opposition sloganeering demanding that Rahul G...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday to mount a broad political attack on the Congress, the Nehru-Gandhi family and other opposition parties, as opposition members raised slogans and later walked out. Representational Image of PM NaMo; via:NationPress This ultimately turned the Budget Session’s escalating confrontation into a sharper exchange over parliamentary conduct, identity politics and competing claims of national interest. In a nearly 100-minute speech delivered amid sloganeering, Modi accused the Congress leadership of habitual wrongdoing and made a pointed reference to Mahatma Gandhi’s surname, saying, “For some people, stealing is a family profession. What’s shocking is that those habitual thieves have also stolen surname of a Gujarati, Mahatma Gandhi.”  He followed with a separate jibe framed around “startup culture,” claiming the Congress “never promoted start...

Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were once again adjourned for the day within seconds of the House assembling on Wednesday evening for Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s expected reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.  This unfolded in the wake of the renewed opposition protests that triggered chaos in the chamber and forced the cancellation of his speech. Representational Image of PM NaMo; Source: NationPress The House had reconvened at around 5 pm amid indications that the Prime Minister would address members, but disorder broke out immediately as Congress MPs entered the Well and aisles of the Lok Sabha. They were seen raising slogans against the suspension of eight Opposition members during the ongoing Budget Session of the Indian Parliament .  Several women MPs from the Opposition blocked access to the treasury benches, including the Prime Minister’s seat, and displayed a large banner reading “Do what is right.”  With the disruption escal...