A day after the no-confidence motion against him was defeated, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla returned to the Speaker’s chair and addressed the House on Thursday, rejecting allegations of bias levelled by the Opposition. Responding to the criticism, Birla said some members had accused him of preventing MPs from speaking in Parliament.
“A few accused me of stopping some MPs from speaking in Parliament. But, I want to clarify that I always allow all MPs to speak, but under rules and regulations,” said the Lok Sabha Speaker. He urged members to ensure that the proceedings of the House are conducted in accordance with parliamentary rules. “Let us conduct the proceedings of this Lok Sabha according to the rules. These regulations are the same for everyone, for the Opposition and the Government alike,” Birla added.
The motion seeking Birla’s removal was defeated on Wednesday amid loud protests and sloganeering by Opposition members. BJP MP Jagadambika Pal, who was presiding over the House at the time, called for a formal division and asked Opposition members to return to their seats. However, as disruptions continued, the motion was rejected through a voice vote.
Defending the Speaker during the debate on Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah termed the no-confidence motion “unfortunate” and said the Speaker functions as a neutral authority in the House. “According to the established history of this House, proceedings are conducted on the basis of mutual trust,” Shah said. “The Speaker represents both the ruling party and the Opposition. It is a blow to parliamentary politics that a resolution for his removal was even brought forward.”
The notice for Birla’s removal had been submitted on February 10 by Congress MP and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, invoking Article 94(c) of the Constitution. Following the submission of the notice, Birla chose to recuse himself from presiding over House proceedings until the matter was decided. While there is no rule that bars a Speaker from chairing the House during such a period, Birla said he felt it would be inappropriate to do so while his impartiality was being questioned.
The Opposition had moved the notice after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to continue speaking in the Lok Sabha when he attempted to quote excerpts from a book by former Army chief General M M Naravane. Treasury bench members argued that the book had not yet been published, following which the Speaker intervened.
Opposition parties had also criticised the decision to suspend eight Opposition MPs for the remainder of the Budget Session. They further objected to a BJP MP being permitted to quote from books while criticising two former Congress prime ministers.
The notice also referred to remarks made by Birla on February 5, when he accused Opposition members of behaving in an unprecedented manner and said he had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to attend the House to avoid a possible “unpleasant incident”.
