Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha on Tuesday witnessed a fiery showdown between the opposition and the treasury benches as the House took up the resolution seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla.BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was in the Chair, granted permission for a 10-hour debate after Congress MP Mohammad Jawed read out the notice. The resolution was seconded by more than 50 MPs.
However, opposition MPs raised objections over Pal chairing the House and said that the government had not appointed the Deputy Speaker for the last several years, creating a constitutional vacuum.Questioning Jagdambika Pal’s authority, Congress MP KC Venugopal said, “You were appointed by the Speaker of Lok Sabha.” He added that the House should elect a person who will preside over the proceedings during the resolution debate.The treasury benches countered the claims and cited constitutional provisions, law and House rules. Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said that the opposition’s claim was irrelevant as Pal was competent to preside over the Lok Sabha when the resolution was taken up.Rijiju said that a member of the panel of chairpersons can preside over the Lok Sabha when a resolution to remove the Speaker is being considered.“Jagdambika Pal, a member of the panel of chairpersons, can preside over the Lok Sabha when a resolution for the Speaker’s removal is taken up,” Rijiju said.‘Kiren Rijiju was the parliamentary affairs minister who interrupted the Opposition the most’In response, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that “in future, when there will be research on parliamentary records, statistics will tell that Kiren Rijiju was the parliamentary affairs minister who interrupted the Opposition the most.”Union home minister Amit Shah also intervened and said, “I agree with you, Kiren Rijiju, as Parliamentary Affairs Minister, has interrupted the most. But we have also never seen such an irresponsible Opposition.”Gogoi reiterated his earlier point that the reason a chairperson from the panel selected by the Speaker presides during such debates is precisely because of the Speaker’s authority.He argued that allowing a panel member appointed by the Speaker to preside during the debate on a motion against the Speaker amounted to a “violation of the Constitution”.A total of 118 oposition MPs have signed the motion, alleging “partisan” behaviour by the Speaker after the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, was allegedly not allowed to speak in the House. Congress MP Jawed, reading the resolution, also mentioned that the Speaker falsely alleged that Opposition women MPs were planning a physical attack on the Prime Minister.According to sources, Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju will initiate the discussion on the resolution. BJP MPs Anurag Thakur, Nishikant Dubey, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Bhartruhari Mahtab will deliver remarks on the matter. Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan will also address the House during the discussion.Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi, Manish Tewari, Deepender Singh Hooda and Jothimani will present their arguments in the Lok Sabha in favour of the resolution seeking the removal of the Lok Sabha Speaker.
