New Delhi: As the second half of the Budget Session of Parliament resumes on Monday, the Lok Sabha is set to take up a no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla, with BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal saying the motion against the Speaker would ultimately fail, asserting that it lacks logical grounds and adequate support in the House.
Speaking to IANS on Saturday, Khandelwal said, “According to the provisions of Parliament, such a proposal will be brought to the House with the permission of the presiding officer and will then be discussed. However, one thing is certain: This proposal will fail badly, and the Indian National Congress and other Opposition parties will realise their true position, because the proposal is baseless and lacks logical grounds.”
Reacting to the development, JD(U) National Spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad said such proposals were part of parliamentary democracy but insisted that disorder in the House cannot be tolerated.
“The question is that anarchy cannot be tolerated. As the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, it is Om Birla’s moral responsibility to uphold the dignity of Parliament. Those who are dissatisfied are free to bring such proposals, but given the numbers, it is clear that the proposal will be completely rejected,” Prasad said.
Meanwhile, Independent MP from Purnia, Pappu Yadav, emphasised the importance of the Speaker’s office in the parliamentary system and expressed hope that the institution would continue to function with dignity.
“In the parliamentary system, the post of Speaker is very important and democratic… Today, our Speaker is good, and I wish that his representation remains that of the entire 145 crore people of India, and may such a necessity never arise,” he said.
The no-confidence motion has been moved by three Congress lawmakers — Md Jawed, Kodikunnil Suresh and Mallu Ravi. The resolution accuses the Speaker of acting in a partisan manner and failing to maintain the impartiality required for the post.
The motion states: “That this House, having taken into consideration the conduct of the Speaker of the House as regards disallowing the Leader of the Opposition and other Opposition leaders to speak, making unwarranted allegations against women MPs belonging to the Opposition, suspending Opposition MPs for an entire session for raising issues of public concern and not rebuking ruling party members for making wholly objectionable and derogatory remarks against former PMs, 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.”
The debate on the motion is expected to be a key highlight as the Lok Sabha resumes proceedings in the second half of the Budget Session.
(IANS)
