The already tense atmosphere in Parliament escalated dramatically on Monday as sources confirmed that Opposition MPs of the INDIA bloc are considering an extraordinary step—bringing a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. This drastic move underscores a deepening crisis in parliamentary conduct, with the Opposition alleging a systematic silencing of its voice, particularly that of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
The decision was reportedly forged during a meeting of INDIA bloc floor leaders convened at the office of Congress President and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, with Rahul Gandhi in attendance. The immediate trigger is the allegation that Gandhi was not permitted to speak during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.
Congress MP KC Venugopal voiced the coalition's fury, framing it as a constitutional concern. "As per parliamentary rules, the Leader of Opposition is a shadow Prime Minister. But here, the LoP is not being allowed to speak in the House," he stated. He accused the government of monopolizing Parliament, citing the recent US-India trade deal as an issue Gandhi wished to raise but was prevented from doing so. "The government wants to preserve the Parliament for itself," Venugopal added.
The frustration extends beyond a single incident. Last week, Speaker Birla ruled that Gandhi could not cite excerpts from former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane’s unpublished memoir during a discussion on the China standoff, leading to sloganeering and disruption.
The simmering discontent boiled over into punitive action earlier, with eight Opposition MPs being suspended for the remainder of the Budget Session for "throwing papers on the Chair." The Congress has explicitly linked its "no confidence" in the Speaker to a demand for the revocation of these suspensions. Senior leader Sanjay Jha remarked that the Opposition felt it had "no issues left to raise" after the suspensions.
Adding a controversial layer to the discord, Speaker Birla revealed on February 5 that he had advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to attend the House based on intelligence inputs about possible "unprecedented incidents" from some Congress MPs. This revelation has further strained relations, with the Opposition viewing it as an unsubstantiated allegation impugning its conduct.
The potential no-confidence motion strikes at the heart of parliamentary tradition, where the Speaker is expected to be an impartial arbiter. The Opposition’s move signals a belief that this neutrality has been compromised, accusing the Chair of facilitating the government’s agenda while muzzling dissent. The government and the Speaker’s office, however, have consistently maintained that rules and decorum must be upheld, and that disruptions cannot be rewarded.
This political storm has effectively paralyzed the Budget Session, which has seen repeated disruptions. Both Houses are yet to conduct substantive discussions on the Union Budget 2024-25, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The continuous deadlock raises serious questions about the functioning of India’s highest legislative forum, where debate and scrutiny are being overtaken by confrontation and procedural warfare.
As the INDIA bloc weighs its formal steps, the specter of a no-confidence motion against the Speaker—a rare and severe parliamentary measure—hangs over the Lok Sabha. It represents not just a political clash, but a fundamental dispute over the rights, role, and space of the opposition in the world’s largest democracy. The coming days will test whether dialogue can break the impasse or if Parliament remains a theatre of entrenched conflict.
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