No-confidence motion debate: Opposition accuses Om Birla of partisanship, NDA defends Speaker in Lok Sabha | India News

New Delhi: Roy NDA strongly defended the Lok Sabha Speaker on Tuesday Om Birla During the debate on a motion for his removal, opposition parties accused him of acting under government pressure and failing to conduct the proceedings of the House impartially.The controversy erupted after opposition members moved a motion to remove Birla as Speaker, alleging bias and claiming that she made “baseless” allegations about certain women MPs and did not allow Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi to speak on critical issues.

Birla did not participate in the proceedings, although the Constitution allows the Speaker to be present and defend himself during such debates. The talks are expected to conclude on Wednesday, when Union Home Minister Amit Shah will respond to the resolution.

The opposition has accused the Speaker of bias

Initiating the debate, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said the opposition had brought the motion to protect parliamentary democracy.He said the motion was necessary to “save the Constitution” and preserve the “dignity of the House”.“There was an expectation that the chair would be neutral. But a study of the unedited versions will show how many times the Leader of the Opposition (LOP) was interrupted. When the LOP was on its feet, another member was called (to speak),” Gogoi said.Quoting former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s comments, Gogoi said the Speaker symbolizes the independence and dignity of the House.“Where is freedom of speech now?” he asked.Gogoi added that the opposition members personally shared cordial relations with Birla but were forced to withdraw the resolution.“But it is our responsibility to protect the dignity of Parliament and to protect the Constitution. To protect people’s faith in democracy,” he said.Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant also questioned the Speaker’s behaviour.“Please introspect why we had to move a no-confidence motion. The House cannot run on anyone’s will. We respect its authority. But it should not conduct itself under pressure and compromise independence,” Sawant said.Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Maitra described it as “divine action” that he was supporting a motion to remove Birla as speaker, alleging that he was “wrongfully” expelled from the Lok Sabha in 2023.He said the Speaker had set “less than beautiful benchmarks” while presiding over the House.DMK leader TR Balu called Birla a “gentleman” but criticized what he described as a “harsh” move against opposition members and urged him to take corrective action.

The NDA says the Speaker acted impartially

Members of the Treasury Bench rejected the allegations and defended Birla’s conduct, arguing that the disciplinary action against the opposition MP was due to improper conduct.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has accused the Congress of targeting constitutional institutions since losing power in 2014.He said this resolution is an attempt to undermine the Speaker’s authority.Rijiju said Birla was neutral and gave the opposition ample opportunity to speak in the House.He quoted former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi to emphasize that the speaker’s decision is final and should be respected by all members.The minister claimed that several opposition MPs had personally expressed their discomfort with the resolution.According to Rijiju, 50 opposition members told him privately that they were unhappy with the move but were supporting it due to political pressure.During his intervention, Rijiju also criticized Rahul Gandhi’s behavior in Parliament, saying he often skipped proceedings or left the House after delivering his speech.He added that Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra could make a good opposition leader.Reacting to Rijiju’s comments, Priyanka Gandhi said she found it ironic that members of the ruling party were quoting Nehru.“He mentioned that I was laughing. I wanted to make it clear that I was laughing because the person they were criticizing day and night, Nehruji, they used a quote from Nehruji for their own argument.”“They suddenly started respecting Nehruji and he strengthened democracy and gave such a speech,” he said.

NDA allies support Birla

NDA allies also supported the Speaker and criticized the opposition’s move.TDP MP Lavu Srikrishna Debrayalu praised Birla’s conduct of the Lok Sabha since 2019 and said that parliamentary productivity has increased under his leadership.He said the resolution was brought “not to succeed, but to make spectacular headlines”.JD(U) leader and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh described the proposal as an attempt to pressure the Speaker.Shiv Sena MP Srikanth Shinde attacked Rahul Gandhi and said the opposition leader would face obstruction if he promoted an “anti-India” agenda in Parliament.The debate on this resolution is expected to continue in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.