Shah Slams ‘Irresponsible Opposition’ in Speaker Debate

• Lok Sabha debates no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla
• Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticises Kiren Rijiju for interrupting Opposition
• Amit Shah counters, calls Opposition “irresponsible”
• Motion unlikely to pass as Opposition lacks numbers in the House

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 10th March: A heated exchange unfolded in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday during the debate on the no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah sharply criticising the Opposition after a remark by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi targeting Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.

The no-confidence motion, signed by 118 Opposition MPs, accuses Speaker Om Birla of alleged partisan conduct and cites instances where the Opposition claims its leaders were not allowed to speak in the House.

Opening the debate, Gogoi launched a scathing attack on the government benches and criticised Rijiju’s interventions during parliamentary proceedings.

“In future, when research is conducted on parliamentary records and transcripts are analysed, statistics will show that Kiren Rijiju was the Parliamentary Affairs Minister who interrupted the Opposition the most,” Gogoi said.

The comment triggered immediate reactions from treasury bench members. Responding to Gogoi’s remarks, Amit Shah said that interruptions are sometimes necessary when members fail to follow parliamentary rules.

“I agree that Kiren Rijiju, as Parliamentary Affairs Minister, has interrupted the most. But we have also never seen such an irresponsible Opposition,” Shah said, drawing loud cheers from ruling party MPs.

The debate centres on allegations by Opposition parties that the Speaker had not allowed Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to speak on several occasions, including during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.

Gogoi claimed that Gandhi was interrupted around 20 times by the Speaker, members of the chairpersons’ panel and senior members of the treasury benches.

The Congress MP also referred to the controversy surrounding Gandhi’s attempt to raise issues related to former Army Chief General M. M. Naravane’s unpublished book, which the Speaker had reportedly not permitted him to discuss amid protests from BJP MPs.

Intervening during the debate, Rijiju said that the discussion should remain focused on the motion against the Speaker rather than unrelated political issues.

Later presenting the government’s position, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister emphasised that the Speaker’s authority is central to parliamentary functioning.

Referring to a remark by the Leader of the Opposition, Rijiju said he was surprised when an Opposition MP claimed he did not require permission to speak in the House.

“This House functions according to the Constitution and rules. Even the Prime Minister, ministers and the Leader of the Opposition require the Speaker’s permission to speak,” Rijiju said.

“You cannot disregard the authority of the Speaker and then complain that your microphone was not switched on,” he added.

Under parliamentary rules, a motion to remove the Lok Sabha Speaker requires the support of more than half of the House members to be passed.

With the Opposition lacking the numbers in the Lok Sabha, the motion is widely expected to fail, though political observers say the move is aimed at sending a broader political message ahead of upcoming assembly elections in several states.