Remove Speaker Om Birla: Lok Sabha to take notice of opposition on Monday; BJP, Congress to issue whips to MPs

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha has listed notices filed by the opposition seeking resolution of Speaker Om Birla’s ouster on Monday, setting the stage for a rare debate in the House.The notice was the only item scheduled for discussion that day, according to agenda documents. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju earlier said the motion would be tabled when Parliament reconvenes for the second phase of the budget session on March 9.According to the Rules of Procedure, the motion will be considered if at least 50 members support the notice when called by the Chair. If the threshold is met, the resolution is accepted, debated and put to a vote. If less than 50 members support it, the motion cannot be moved.The notification was submitted by MPs Mohamed Jawed, K Suresh and Mallu Ravi and has been signed by 118 opposition MPs from various political parties. Trinamool Congress MPs are yet to support the motion.The proposed resolution accuses Birla of acting with “blatant partisanship” and failing to maintain the impartiality expected of the speaker. The report said he repeatedly did not allow opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and other opposition members to address the House and made “baseless accusations” against female opposition lawmakers.The motion also noted that opposition MPs were suspended for a full session for raising issues of “public concern”, while claiming that members of the ruling party were not reprimanded for making derogatory remarks about the former Prime Minister.Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the resolution was moved in accordance with parliamentary rules and practices and the opposition cited “concrete instances of partisan conduct” that deserved debate in the House.Ramesh termed it a legitimate democratic process and pointed out that similar motions had been moved in the past, including one in 1954 against Speaker GV Mavalankar.Meanwhile, both the BJP and the Congress have issued three whips to their MPs, directing them to attend the House from March 9 to 11. Under the constitution, he has the right to defend himself in debates and to vote on resolutions.The Speaker can be removed from office if the House of Representatives passes a resolution by a simple majority. Similar motions against former Speaker GV Mavalankar in 1954, Hukam Singh in 1966 and Balram Jakhar in 1987 were defeated.The Congress party has issued a whip directing its MPs to remain in the Lok Sabha from March 9 to 11 and the notification is expected to be adopted by then.