No-Confidence Move Against Speaker Birla

• Opposition submits no-confidence notice against Speaker Om Birla
• Birla decides not to attend House proceedings till motion is decided
• Motion likely to be discussed after March 9 in Budget session’s second phase
• Dispute linked to Rahul Gandhi being denied time to speak

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 10th Feb: In a dramatic turn in Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has decided to stay away from House proceedings after the Opposition submitted a notice seeking his removal, sources said on Tuesday.

The no-confidence notice was submitted by Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi under Article 94(c) of the Constitution, which provides for the removal of the Speaker. Gogoi said the motion was filed at 1.14 pm, alleging that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had repeatedly been denied opportunities to speak.

Sources said Birla has taken a “moral stand” and will not attend proceedings until the motion is discussed and decided. While parliamentary rules require the Speaker not to preside during discussion on such a motion, Birla has reportedly chosen to remain absent from the House altogether from Tuesday.

According to sources, the decision follows expressions of lack of confidence by some members. Birla is said to be firm on his stand, even if leaders from the government and the Opposition try to persuade him otherwise.

The motion is unlikely to be discussed immediately. Sources indicated that it may come up only after March 9, the first day of the second phase of the Budget session. At least 50 MPs must formally support the motion when it is taken up in the House.

There was initial confusion over the notice after reports suggested it mentioned the year as 2025. The Lok Sabha Secretariat reportedly advised that it be resubmitted with the correction to 2026, after which a fresh notice was filed.

This is not the first time Birla has stayed away from proceedings. In 2023, he had done so over continuous disruptions in Parliament, returning only after assurances from MPs about maintaining decorum.

The latest notice followed an incident in which Rahul Gandhi was stopped from quoting excerpts from a book by former Army chief General M.M. Naravane. Treasury bench members argued the book had not been published, prompting the Speaker to disallow the remarks.

The Opposition had also protested the suspension of eight MPs for the remainder of the Budget session and objected to a BJP MP being allowed to quote from books while criticising two former Congress prime ministers.

The notice further cited Birla’s remarks on February 5, when he criticised Opposition conduct and said he had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to attend the House to avoid a possible “unpleasant incident.”

Congress MP Manickam Tagore said the Opposition’s move was guided by constitutional propriety and described the no-confidence notice as an extraordinary step prompted by extraordinary circumstances.