Opposition moves notice to remove ‘partisan’ LS Speaker Om Birla

Opposition parties have moved a notice seeking the removal of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accusing him of partisan conduct and denying speaking opportunities to Opposition MPs. Around 120 MPs backed the move, which will now be examined as per parliamentary rules

New Delhi: Opposition parties on Tuesday submitted a notice for moving a resolution to remove Om Birla as Lok Sabha Speaker, alleging that he had acted in a “blatantly partisan” manner in conducting the business of the House and “abused” the constitutional office he occupies.

The opposition also accused the Speaker of making certain false allegations against the Congress members when he spoke of some “unexpected action” in the Lok Sabha and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to come to the House.

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Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, chief whip K Suresh and whip Mohamed Jawed submitted the notice under Article 94 C of the Constitution to Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh on behalf of several opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the DMK.

Sources said the notice was signed by around 120 MPs of the opposition, including those of the Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, Left parties and the RJD. Shiv Sena UBT and NCP-SP have also extended their support to the notice against the speaker but their MPs could not sign it.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) is not a signatory to the notice. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has also not signed the notice, the sources said.

The notice was submitted soon after 1 pm, after the opposition members held a last meeting with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju but their issues remained unresolved.

Later in the day, the opposition withdrew the notice submitted in the afternoon and replaced it with another one correcting the date.

“We, the undersigned, hereby give notice of a resolution for the removal of Shri Om Birla from the office of Speaker Lok Sabha, in terms of the provisions of Article 94(c) of the Constitution of India, because of the blatantly partisan manner in which he has been conducting the business of the Lok Sabha,” the notice said, according to sources.

On several occasions, leaders of opposition parties have just not been allowed to speak, which is their basic democratic right in Parliament, the notice said.

The notice said on February 2, Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to complete his speech on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. This is not an isolated instance. The leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha is almost invariably not allowed to speak, it claimed.

On February 3, eight opposition MPs were “arbitrarily suspended” for the entire Budget session and are being penalised merely for exercising their democratic rights, the notice said.

On February 4, a BJP MP was permitted to make “wholly objectionable and personalised attacks” on two former prime ministers without being reprimanded even once for disregarding established conventions and norms of propriety, it said, in an apparent reference to Nishikant Dubey’s remarks.

“In spite of our request, no action has been taken against this particular MP, who is a habitual offender,” they said.

The notice also referred to Birla’s remarks that he had “concrete information” that many Congress members might move towards Prime Minister Modi’s seat and carry out “some unexpected act” as a result of which he had requested him not to come to the House to reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address.

“The aforementioned remarks cast blatantly false allegations against the members of the Indian National Congress and are derogatory in nature. The speaker, who is required to be the custodian of the Rules of Procedure and the norms of parliamentary decorum, chose the floor of the House to make such statements, which is indicative of an abuse of this constitutional office,” the notice said.

“While we hold the Speaker, Lok Sabha, in personal regard, we are pained and anguished at the manner in which he has consistently prevented opposition members of Parliament from raising issues of legitimate public concern,” the notice also said.

“That this House… feels he has ceased to maintain an impartial attitude necessary to command the confidence of all sections of the House; that in his partisan attitude he disregards the rights of Members of the House and makes pronouncements and gives rulings calculated to affect and undermine such rights; that he openly espouses the version of the ruling party on all controversial matters, that all these acts constitute a serious danger to the proper functioning of this House and ventilating effectively the felt concerns and grievances of the people, and therefore resolves that he be removed from his Office,” said the resolution that the Opposition seeks to move.

The decision to submit the notice was taken by the opposition at a meeting of floor leaders in the office of Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in the morning.

Among the main reasons cited by the Congress include disallowing Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders from speaking in the House on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address and the suspension of eight MPs.

Birla directed the Lok Sabha secretary general to examine the notice served by the opposition and take appropriate action, the sources said, adding it will be examined and processed according to the rules.

Citing moral grounds, Birla will not preside over Lok Sabha proceedings till the issue regarding his removal from the office is settled.

The Lok Sabha has not been functioning properly ever since Gandhi was not allowed to speak on February 2.