Opposition motion against Birla fails in LS

The resolution seeking the removal of Om Birla as Speaker was on Wednesday defeated in Lok Sabha by a voice vote. Earlier, Union Minister for Home Affairs, Amit Shah hit out at the Opposition for bringing the motion. “It is not an ordinary occurrence as after nearly four decades, such a motion has been brought against the speaker,” he said.

The minister said it was unfortunate that Opposition parties were questioning the integrity of the Speaker. Shah said the BJP has been in the Opposition, but the party has never brought a no-confidence motion against any speaker.Shah said the Opposition’s questions on Birla’s integrity and were akin to questioning the country’s democratic processes.

Birla was not present in the House during the entire period of the debate.The Opposition objected to Shah’s remarks and disrupted the proceedings seeking an apology from him. Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi said he was stopped from speaking in the Lok Sabha on multiple occasions and asserted that the House does not represent one party but the whole country.

Opposition MPs claimed only “no, no, no..” is the oft-repeated refrain that they get from Birla when they want to raise important issues in the Lok Sabha. While speaking during a debate in the lower house on the resolution to remove Birla as Speaker, several Opposition MPs claimed that they were not getting the protection that they should from the chair and disruption of their speech by treasury benches had become the norm.

Interjecting in the debate Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “has been compromised” and everybody knows the result of that.

Responding to BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad, who cited parliamentary procedures to say that the LoP should measure his words carefully, especially on issues of national security, Rahul said that his name was being raised during the debate multiple times and “vile things” were being said about him.

Participating in the debate on the resolution against Birla, Ravi Shankar Prasad had earlier said that the motion to remove the speaker from his post should not be weaponised to “satisfy” the ego of a leader. He said it was painful that the House is discussing the resolution, which is the result of the ego of a leader.

Quoting Practice and Procedures of Parliament, Prasad said the leader of opposition should measure his words carefully, especially on issues of national security, and that he should eschew partisan politics. This led to an uproar from the Opposition.