Lok Sabha to take up notice on Monday for resolution to remove Birla as speaker

Lok Sabha has listed for Monday a notice by Opposition members to move a resolution to remove Om Birla as the Speaker.

Once 50 members of the House stand up upon being called by the Chair, the notice will be considered as admitted. Then the resolution will be discussed and voted upon.

If 50 members do not stand in support of the notice, the resolution cannot be moved. According to the agenda paper for Monday, the resolution is the only item listed as the business of the day.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had recently said that the resolution would come up before the House on March 9. The notice will be moved by three Congress members - Mohamed Jawed, K Suresh and Mallu Ravi.

The proposed resolution questioned the conduct of the Speaker in disallowing the Leader of the Opposition and other Opposition leaders to speak and in “making unwarranted allegations against women MPs belonging to the Opposition”.

It also referred to the suspension of Opposition MPs for an entire session for raising issues of “public concern and not rebuking ruling party members for making wholly objectionable and derogatory remarks against former PMs”.

It further alleged that the opposition felt Birla has ceased to maintain “an impartial attitude necessary to command the confidence of all sections of the House” and that in his partisan attitude, he is disregarding the rights of members of the House and makes pronouncements and gives rulings calculated to affect and undermine such rights.

The proposed resolution also accused Birla “openly espouses the version of the ruling party on all controversial matters” and that all these acts constitute “a serious danger to the proper functioning of this House and ventilating effectively the felt concerns and grievances of the people, and therefore resolves that he be removed from his office”.