New Delhi: Opposition parties on Tuesday filed a notice of no-confidence against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, intensifying their confrontation with the government over the implementation of parliamentary procedures. Sources said the notice has been signed by more than 100 MPs. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that today at 1.14 pm, a notice of no-confidence motion was filed against the Speaker of the Lok Sabha under Rule 94C of the Rules and Procedures.Under Article 94(c) of the Constitution, the Speaker can be removed by a resolution passed by the Lok Sabha after a mandatory notice period of 14 days. This follows days of deliberations by India bloc leaders amid repeated disruptions in the House of Representatives.Opposition parties have raised a series of grievances, including refusal to allow opposition leader Rahul Gandhi to speak, suspension of opposition members and alleged inaction over remarks by BJP MP Nisikant Dubey. The leader also rejected suggestions that female MPs posed a threat to the prime minister.On Monday, senior Congress leader KC Venugopal said action was imminent and criticized the functioning of the Lok Sabha. “Under parliamentary rules, the leader of the opposition is the shadow prime minister. But here, Labor is not allowed to speak in the House. The government can say anything and attack anyone,” he said. Venugopal also accused the Speaker of bias. “The Speaker himself is raising charges against congresswomen but there is simply no space for the opposition in the House and they are not even allowed… This attitude towards the opposition has never happened before… Action is awaited,” he said. Referring to trade discussions with Washington, he added, “The US-India trade deal is somewhat shocking and the leader of the opposition wanted to mention something about the deal to the Speaker, but that was also not allowed. The government wants to keep parliament for itself. “The opposition’s move was discussed at a meeting attended by India Bloc leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Haq, with some parties initially suggesting submitting a formal letter of complaint to the Speaker before taking the extreme step. Sources said another meeting was held on Tuesday morning to finalize the timing. However, the government played down the development. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the opposition lacked the numbers to support the resolution. The no-confidence motion comes amid a long-standing deadlock in the Lok Sabha, with opposition members protesting against their refusal to speak during key debates, including a motion to thank the president for his speech, leading to multiple prorogations of parliament.
