New Delhi: The Opposition’s no-confidence motion, seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla, was defeated in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Amid familiar scenes of sloganeering and protests in the House, the resolution was defeated by a voice vote.
Proceedings were adjourned for the day after the vote, and the House will reconvene at 11 am on Thursday with Birla in the chair. He will make a statement on the conduct of Opposition members during Wednesday’s proceedings.
In their motion, Opposition parties accused the Speaker of failing to ensure impartial functioning of the Lok Sabha.
The ruling NDA government, led by the BJP, strongly rejected the allegation against Birla during a heated debate.
No-trust motion unfortunate, says Shah
In his speech, Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the resolution as a deeply regrettable step in Parliamentary politics.
“According to the established history of this House, its proceedings are conducted based on mutual trust. The Speaker serves as a neutral custodian, representing both the ruling party and the opposition. It is unfortunate for parliamentary politics that a resolution for the removal of the Speaker has come,” Shah said.
He pointed out that such motions against the Lok Sabha Speaker have been very rare in India’s parliamentary history, with the last one coming nearly four decades ago.
He also reminded the House that in its long years of being in the Opposition, BJP had never moved a no-confidence motion against the Speaker.
Shah stressed that functioning of Parliament must follow established procedures, and not political demands.
“The House will be run by its rules, not by the rules of a party,” he said.
“This House is not some fair or festival. Here, one must proceed according to the rules. No one has the right to speak in a manner that the rules of the House do not permit, no matter who they are,” he said.
The Opposition argument
Members of Opposition said that the motion had been brought to raise concerns over shrinking space for dissent in Parliament.
According to RJD MP Abhay Kumar Sinha said opposition members often felt they were not receiving adequate protection from the chair. “I have to say with regret that for some time now, the chair no longer represents the independence of the House but has become a symbol of the ruling party’s tyranny,” he said.
“This House even saw the black day when over 140 MPs were suspended in a day. Real democracy is the one in which even the poorest and weakest feel their voice can be heard,” Sinha added.
JMM MP Vijay Kumar Hansdak said that interruptions during speeches by Opposition members had become a routine matter.
“When Opposition MPs speak, they are disrupted, and that has become a tradition. Another tradition is that while MPs speak, the camera moves in another direction,” he said.
Bajrang Manohar Sonwane, an NCP (Pawar) MP, admitted that the Opposition was aware that the resolution was likely to fail, but wanted to highlight concerns about democratic rights within Parliament through the debate.
“Nobody is making any personal attack on Birla ji. We all know what will happen in voting, but we brought this no-confidence to highlight democratic rights that we have,” he said.
“Like a table fan gives cooling only on one side when Birla ji looks to the right, he has a smile and when he looks to the other side, ‘No, No, No’,” Sonwane remarked.
