New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) The Opposition parties on Tuesday moved a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging “partisan conduct” in the functioning of the House. The notice has been submitted to the office of the Lok Sabha Secretary-General.
The motion was moved by Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, under Rule 94(c) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha, invoking Article 94(c) of the Constitution, which provides for the removal of the Speaker.
In the notice, the Opposition accused the Speaker of conducting House proceedings in a “blatantly partisan manner” and repeatedly denying Opposition leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the opportunity to speak.
The motion cited several instances to substantiate its charge. It said that on February 2, Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to complete his speech on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. On February 3, eight Opposition MPs were “arbitrarily suspended” for the remainder of the Budget Session, which, the notice claimed, amounted to penalising members for exercising their democratic rights.
The Opposition also pointed to an incident on February 4, when a BJP MP was allegedly allowed to make “wholly objectionable and personalised attacks” on two former Prime Ministers without any reprimand from the Chair, despite repeated requests from Opposition members. No action was taken against the MP concerned, whom the notice described as a “habitual offender”.
The motion further objected to remarks made by Speaker Om Birla on February 5, after the adoption of the Motion of Thanks through a voice vote. In his statement to the House, Birla had accused Opposition members of creating unprecedented scenes and said he had requested the Prime Minister not to attend the House to avert a possible “unpleasant incident”.
According to the Opposition, these remarks cast blatantly false and derogatory allegations against Congress MPs.
“The Speaker, who is required to be the custodian of the Rules of Procedure and parliamentary decorum, chose the floor of the House to make such statements, which amounts to an abuse of this constitutional office,” the notice said.
The Opposition said that while it holds the Speaker in personal regard, it is “pained and anguished” by what it described as a consistent pattern of preventing Opposition MPs from raising issues of legitimate public concern in the Lok Sabha.
A total of 118 MPs have signed the notice of no-confidence motion.
–IANS
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