Budget session of Parliament: BJP, Congress issue whip to MPs as Lok Sabha may take notice against Speaker Om Birla

New Delhi: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress party on Friday issued three whips to Lok Sabha members, directing them to attend the House at the beginning of the second phase of the budget session from March 9-11.The second phase of the conference will be held from March 9 to April 2. House likely to accept notice from opposition seeking Lok Sabha Speaker About BirlaHe has been removed from office, news agency PTI reported.The first phase of the budget session ended on February 13 with acrimonious exchanges over the India-US interim trade deal and the controversy surrounding former Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane’s unpublished memoirs taking center stage.The budget session began on January 28 with President Droupadi Murmu addressing a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The conference plans to hold 30 meetings over 65 days, ending on April 2. During recess, parliamentary standing committees can review the funding requirements of ministries.In the first stage, Parliament mainly discusses the 2026-27 federal budget and a motion to thank the President for his speech. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha on February 1, her ninth consecutive budget.There was also a heated row in the House when Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi tried to quote excerpts from Naravane’s unpublished memoirs during the debate on the motion of thanks, sparking strong objections from NDA MPs who argued that unpublished works cannot be quoted in Parliament.Amid the uproar, eight opposition lawmakers were suspended for violating House rules and throwing papers at the chairman after sparking protests over a reference to the 2020 standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.Despite repeated disruptions and sloganeering by opposition members, the Lok Sabha on February 5 passed a motion thanking the President for his speech, to which Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not respond as per custom.Subsequently, the Congress submitted a notice of no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Bella responded that on ethical grounds he would not preside over the proceedings until the motion was resolved.At the same time, elections are held every two years in the House of Federation to fill 37 seats in 10 states. Voting is scheduled for March 16, with counting taking place at 5 pm that day. The last date to submit nominations is Thursday, review is ongoing and candidates have until March 9 to withdraw their nominations.