New Delhi: Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee On Tuesday said his party had “no problem” signing the no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, but insisted the opposition should first express its displeasure to the Speaker, including suspending eight MPs. Speaking to reporters at the Parliament House, Banerjee said the Speaker should be given a chance to respond before the opposition moves a resolution calling for his removal. Although the opposition parties submitted a notice earlier in the day accusing Birla of “blatantly partisan” behavior, the TMC chose not to sign off on the move, PTI reported.“The All India Trinamool Congress had no problem signing the no-confidence motion against the Speaker. All 28 MPs will sign the agreement,” Banerjee said. “However, before moving the no-confidence motion, we would like all India Group partners to sign a letter to the Speaker highlighting the four points on which the argument is based. ” Citing the suspension of eight MPs, Banerjee said the opposition could appeal for reconsideration and give the Speaker “two to three days” to respond. “If the Speaker fails to act or fails to provide satisfactory answers to these four questions, a motion of no-confidence can be tabled after three days,” he said. Opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party and DMK, submitted notices to Lok Sabha general secretary Utpal Kumar Singh through Congress leaders Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh and Mohamed Jawed. The resolution accuses Bella of acting with “blatant partisanship” and making “blatantly false” accusations against members of Congress. The TMC leader said his party wanted Parliament to function normally and questioned the repeated prorogations of the House. “We want the House to function normally but the federal government does not seem to be doing so,” Banerjee said, adding that it was also the speaker’s responsibility to ensure smooth proceedings.According to sources, around 120 MPs from political parties including Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) signed the notification.
