Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The ruling NDA on Tuesday strongly defended Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla during a debate on a resolution seeking his removal, while opposition parties accused him of acting under government pressure and failing to conduct House proceedings impartially.The debate began after opposition members moved a resolution to remove Birla as Speaker, alleging bias and claiming he made “baseless” allegations about certain women MPs and did not allow Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to speak on critical issues.
Birla did not attend the proceedings, although the Constitution permits the Speaker to be present and defend himself during such debates. The discussion is expected to conclude on Wednesday, when Union Home Minister Amit Shah will respond to the resolution.
Opposition accuses Speaker of bias
Initiating the debate, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said the opposition had brought the motion to protect parliamentary democracy.The resolution, he said, was necessary to “save the Constitution” and the “dignity of the House”.“There was an expectation that the chair would be neutral. But research of uncorrected versions would show the number of times the Leader of Opposition (LoP) was interrupted. While the LoP was on his feet, another member was called upon (to speak),” Gogoi said.Citing remarks by former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Gogoi said the Speaker symbolises the freedom and dignity of the House.“Where is the freedom of speech now?” he asked.Gogoi added that opposition members share cordial relations with Birla personally but felt compelled to move the resolution.“But it is our responsibility to protect the dignity of the House and save the Constitution. It is to protect the faith of the people in democracy,” he said.Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant also questioned the Speaker’s conduct.“Please introspect why we had to bring the no-confidence motion. The House can’t function on anyone’s whims. We respect his authority. But he should not conduct himself under pressure and compromise independence,” Sawant said.Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra described it as “divine karma” that she was supporting a motion to remove Birla as Speaker, alleging she had been “wrongly” expelled from the Lok Sabha in 2023.She said the Speaker had set “less than graceful benchmarks” while presiding over the House.DMK leader T R Baalu called Birla a “gentleman” but criticised what he described as “harsh” action against opposition members and urged him to take corrective steps.
NDA says Speaker acted impartially
Members of the treasury benches rejected the allegations and defended Birla’s conduct, arguing that disciplinary action against opposition MPs was taken due to improper behaviour.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress of targeting constitutional institutions since losing power in 2014.He said the resolution was an attempt to undermine the authority of the Speaker.Rijiju said Birla had remained impartial and provided the opposition with ample opportunity to speak in the House.He also quoted former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi to stress that decisions of the Speaker are final and must be respected by all members.The minister claimed that several opposition MPs had privately expressed discomfort with the resolution.According to Rijiju, 50 opposition members told him personally they were unhappy with the move but were supporting it due to political pressure.During his intervention, Rijiju also criticised Rahul Gandhi’s conduct in Parliament, saying he often skipped proceedings or left the House after delivering his speech.He added that Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra could be a better Leader of Opposition.Responding to Rijiju’s remarks, Priyanka Gandhi said she found it ironic that members of the ruling side were quoting Nehru.“He mentioned that I was laughing. I wanted to clear that I was laughing because the person they keep criticising day and night, that Nehru ji, they used a quote of Nehru ji for their own argument.”“They have suddenly started respecting Nehruji and that he strengthened democracy and gave such a speech,” she said.
NDA allies back Birla
NDA allies also supported the Speaker and criticised the opposition’s move.TDP MP Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu praised Birla’s handling of the Lok Sabha since 2019 and said parliamentary productivity had increased under his leadership.He said the resolution was brought “not to succeed but to create spectacular headlines”.JD(U) leader and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh described the motion as an attempt to pressure the Speaker.Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde attacked Rahul Gandhi and said the Leader of Opposition would face interruptions if he promoted what he called an “anti-India” agenda in Parliament.The debate on the resolution is expected to continue in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
