Speaker Om Birla Announces 60-Nation Parliament Outreach Initiative as No-Confidence Motion Looms

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday unveiled a new parliamentary outreach initiative, constituting “Parliament Friendship Groups” with over 60 countries. The move has been described as an effort to “complement traditional diplomacy with sustained parliamentary interaction”.

The groups bring together MPs from across party lines, with a notable number of Opposition members from both Houses included as participants and heads. The initiative is understood to be aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomatic push following Operation Sindoor, which saw multi-party delegations engage with foreign governments.

The announcement comes against the backdrop of a no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against the Speaker. Opposition parties have accused Birla of running the House in a “blatantly partisan manner” and restricting opportunities for their leaders to speak. The inclusion of senior Opposition figures in the newly formed panels is being seen as a development that may address concerns of political exclusion.
The first half of the Budget session was marked by confrontations between the Treasury and Opposition benches, including controversy over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi being disallowed from citing an unpublished memoir by former Army chief Manoj Naravane.

The motion seeking Birla’s removal is scheduled for discussion in the Lok Sabha on March 9, the first day of the second half of the Budget session. A source in the Speaker’s office said, “Amid chaos and notices, the Speaker has nominated senior Opposition leaders to head the friendship panels — a move that could shift how cross-party dialogue works in Parliament,” indicating that the decision could influence the Opposition’s strategy on the motion.
A statement from the Lok Sabha Secretariat said the friendship groups would comprise MPs “across the political spectrum”. Among those named from the Congress are P. Chidambaram, Gaurav Gogoi and Manish Tewari. Other INDIA bloc leaders appointed as heads of various groups include T. R. Baalu of the DMK, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O'Brien of the Trinamool Congress.

The countries covered under the initiative include the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Iran, South Africa, Australia, Bhutan and Nepal, among others. According to the Secretariat, the objective is to facilitate direct engagement between Indian lawmakers and their international counterparts, promote exchange of legislative practices and strengthen bilateral understanding through sustained dialogue.​