‘Extraordinary step born out of extraordinary circumstances’: 118 Opposition MPs move to oust Speaker Om Birla

“At 1.14 pm today, we submitted a motion for a no-confidence motion against the Speaker,” said Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi.

“Leaders of Opposition parties have just not been allowed to speak, which is their basic democratic right in Parliament,” the notice says.

The notice was submitted to Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh.

“Opposition has submitted the notice against the Lok Sabha Speaker to the Secretary General of Lok Sabha. It will be examined and proceeded as per rules,” said a source in the Lok Sabha secretariat.

Under Article 94 C of the Constitution, a Lok Sabha member may give a written notice of intention to move a resolution for the removal of the Speaker to the Secretary General with at least 14 days’ notice.

“The Opposition has placed its faith in constitutional propriety. While holding the Honourable Speaker in personal regard, we are pained and anguished by the consistent denial of opportunities to Opposition MPs to raise issues of public importance. After many years, a no-confidence notice against the Speaker has been moved – an extraordinary step born out of extraordinary circumstances,” Congress chief whip Manickam Tagore said.

Sources said the TMC had reservations about the notice being given Tuesday, as the party was of the view that Speaker Birla should be given more time to address the concerns raised by the opposition members. Sources in the Congress said the TMC had stated its stance in the morning meeting of Opposition floor leaders.

Although the decision to proceed with the notice was made in the morning meeting, the Opposition leaders made an effort to resolve the issue beforehand. The initial decision to submit the notice was postponed as the Opposition leaders, led by Congress’s K C Venugopal, went to Speaker Birla’s chamber for talks. The treasury benches were represented by MoS Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal. However, the Opposition’s demands were not accepted, sources said.

From Rahul Gandhi to Speaker Om Birla

In the notice, the Opposition leaders mentioned four points. On February 2, Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to complete his speech on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address. “This is not an isolated instance. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha is almost invariably not allowed to speak,” it said.

It also pointed out that on February 3, eight opposition MPs were “arbitrarily suspended for the entire Budget session and are being penalised merely for exercising their democratic rights.”

The notice said on February 4, a BJP MP was permitted to make “wholly objectionable and personalised attacks on two former prime ministers without being reprimanded even once for disregarding established conventions and norms of propriety. In spite of our request, no action has been taken against this particular member of Parliament, who is a habitual offender.”

The Opposition raised serious objections to some remarks by BJP’s Nishikant Dubey about former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, some of which were expunged but not fully removed from the records, during the motion of thanks debate.

The notice also mentioned Speaker Birla’s statement last week on his decision to advise Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to come to Lok Sabha to reply to the debate.

On Thursday, when PM Modi was expected to give the customary reply to the motion of thanks debate, which was marred by Opposition protests for not allowing Rahul Gandhi to speak, Birla said he had urged the PM not to come to the House. Birla has said he had “credible information that several members from the Congress” would create “an unprecedented incident after reaching the Honourable Prime Minister’s seat”, and that it was he who had “requested the Prime Minister not to come to the House” where he was scheduled to speak Wednesday.

After quoting his remarks from last Thursday, the notice said they “cast blatantly false allegations against” Congress MPs and that they were “derogatory in nature.” It said: “The Speaker, who is required to be custodian of the Rules of Procedures and the norms of parliamentary decorum, chose the floor of the House to make such statements, which is indicative of an abuse of this constitutional office.”

Meanwhile, 11 women MPs from the BJP wrote to the Speaker, raising serious objections to the earlier letter sent by the Congress women MPs. In the letter, they said Birla, during his seven years as the presiding officer of Lok Sabha, has “consistently endeavoured to enhance its prestige and effectiveness.”