Kamal Ghorui
The Congress party recently moved a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Prakash Birla. The stated reason behind this motion was the allegation that the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, was not being allowed to speak in the House. Given the numerical strength of the BJP and the NDA in the Lok Sabha, it was abundantly clear that this motion would be rejected.
However, during the ensuing debate, the Congress party’s and specifically Rahul Gandhi’s professed love for democracy and the Constitution was thoroughly exposed. While participating in this discussion, Union home minister Amit Shah completely tore apart the facade of Rahul Gandhi’s grievance that he was being denied the opportunity to speak. The Union home minister proceeded to recount, in great detail, the litany of Rahul Gandhi’s conduct within the House. Rahul Gandhi often refrains from speaking when allotted time in the Lok Sabha, yet subsequently steps outside to complain that he was denied the opportunity to speak. When considering the party-wise composition of the Lok Sabha, specifically the proportional allocation of seats, the Speaker has actually granted the Congress party six times more speaking time than the BJP.
Although the Opposition moved a no-confidence motion against the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi himself, did not speak on that very motion. Furthermore, during crucial parliamentary sessions such as the Budget Session, Rahul Gandhi was frequently away on tours to countries like Germany, Vietnam, England, Singapore, and Malaysia. By presenting these salient points in his Lok Sabha address, Amit Shah effectively silenced the Congress party.
The Lok Sabha Speaker does not belong to any single political party, rather, the Speaker serves as the custodian of the entire House and the protector of the rights of all its members. Against this backdrop, the Congress party has, over the past few years, embarked upon a deliberate campaign to spread misconceptions against the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Utilising both traditional media and social media platforms, a highly systematic smear campaign is being unleashed against constitutionally established institutions such as the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Election Commission. Rahul Gandhi labors under the delusion that, simply by virtue of being a member of the Gandhi family, he stands above the Constitution. Consequently, he shows no willingness to adhere to the rules and laws framed by the Constitution for the conduct of proceedings in the Lok Sabha. By observing these very rules and laws, Rahul Gandhi would, in fact, be able to secure ample time to speak on a wide range of issues.
However, knowing full well that he lacks the substantive points required to speak knowledgeably on subjects like the budget, Rahul Gandhi employs various tactics to steer away from the core issue and begin speaking on entirely unrelated matters. In such instances, the Speaker invokes the House rules to restrain him from speaking.
Om Birla is the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha who, on grounds of propriety, recused himself from presiding over the House proceedings once the discussion on the no-confidence Motion commenced. He even rectified and accepted defective notices regarding the no-confidence Motion submitted by the Opposition.
During his tenure, the productivity of the Lok Sabha has stood at 91%. The duration of the ‘Zero Hour’ was extended to five hours, and members were frequently accorded the opportunity to raise issues until as late as 12:00 AM. The House functions on the basis of mutual trust between the ruling party and the Opposition, and the Speaker serves as the custodian of the House for both the ruling and opposition parties alike.
The Lok Sabha has established specific rules to govern its proceedings. Parliament is neither a fair nor a public assembly; therefore, unless the Presiding Officer grants permission in accordance with the rules, no member has the right to speak by flouting those regulations. It is the duty of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha to intervene and provide appropriate guidance whenever these rules are disregarded.
These rules have been in force since the very inception of the nation’s Parliament, dating back to the tenure of the country’s first prime minister; yet, the principal opposition party has frequently violated them. To cast doubt upon the decisions or the integrity of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha is deeply unfortunate and reprehensible.
Congress and Rahul Gandhi are still functioning with the mindset of privilege from the time of the The Emergency in India, which is why the public continues to reject them. Members from both the ruling and opposition parties deliberated for approximately 13 hours on the no-confidence motion against the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. More than 42 Members of Parliament participated in the discussion. Until now, it has been the tradition to regard the Speaker’s decision as final; however, the opposition has cast doubts upon the very impartiality of the Lok Sabha Speaker. The Lok Sabha serves as the supreme assembly of India’s democracy, and our democratic system enjoys high prestige not only within India but across the entire world.
If questions are raised regarding the integrity of the head of such an institution, it casts a shadow of doubt upon India’s democratic process, not merely within the country, but globally. In 1954, the Socialist Party moved a no-confidence motion against G.V. Mavalankar. In 1966, the Samyukta Socialist Party moved a motion against the then-Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Sardar Hukam Singh. Similarly, in 1987, the Communist Party moved a no-confidence motion against Balram Jakhar. All these parties are, to some extent, part of the current opposition alliance. Neither the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, nor subsequently the BJP, nor any alliance led by the BJP has ever moved such a motion. The BJP and the National Democratic Alliance have functioned as constructive opposition in the Lok Sabha and have upheld the dignity of the office of the Speaker.
The BJP has demanded the protection of its legitimate rights; however, it has never moved a no-confidence motion against the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. When the current principal opposition party, Congress, was in power, motions of no-confidence were moved against the Speaker on three separate occasions. At that time, it was customary for the Lok Sabha Speaker not to occupy the Chair while a debate on a no-confidence motion was underway; yet, on all three of those occasions, the Congress Speakers of the Lok Sabha chose to preside from the Chair.
Mr. Birla, however, on grounds of propriety, refrained from occupying the Chair until the debate on the no-confidence motion was concluded. The Congress party is being dragged along by Rahul Gandhi’s impetuous conduct. This debate has exposed the hypocrisy of the Congress. Let us wait and see whether the Congress leadership learns any lessons from this episode.
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