Lok Sabha to Continue Debate on No-Confidence Motion Against Speaker Om Birla Today

The Lok Sabha will continue the debate on Wednesday over the opposition’s no-confidence motion seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla. The discussion comes as the third day of the second phase of Parliament’s Budget Session gets underway. A total of 10 hours have been allocated for the debate on the motion. Nearly seven hours of discussion had already taken place on Tuesday, the second day of the session’s second phase. On Tuesday, opposition Members of Parliament introduced the no-confidence motion against the Speaker, accusing him of bias in conducting the proceedings of the House. After more than 50 MPs voted in support of the motion, the presiding officer approved the initiation of the discussion. Opening the debate, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi alleged that during the Budget Session, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was interrupted 20 times and repeatedly shown the rule book while attempting to speak. The opposition claimed that the Speaker was functioning under pressure from the government. Responding to the allegations, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju rejected the claims and said the accusations against Om Birla were baseless. He stated that the Speaker conducts the proceedings of the House in an impartial manner. Rijiju also remarked that the Leader of the Opposition had spoken only twice in the 15th Lok Sabha. He further alleged that when the session is in progress, the opposition leader often leaves the House and does not listen to others, later claiming that he was not allowed to speak. The debate is expected to continue in the Lok Sabha as members from both the ruling party and the opposition present their arguments on the motion.