Opposition to move resolution to remove Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla from office

The Opposition on Monday decided to move a resolution to remove Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla from office for disallowing Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi from speaking in the House on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address.

Sources said the resolution is being moved under Article 94-C of the Constitution. The notice is being given for moving a resolution against the Speaker for his removal, for disallowing the LoP from speaking in the House on the motion of thanks, for not initiating action against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, for making unsubstantiated charges against women MPs of the Congress, and for suspension of eight opposition MPs, the sources said.

They said a resolution in this regard would soon be moved in the Lok Sabha and signatures of MPs are being procured. The resolution is likely to have signatures of 100 MPs in the Lok Sabha, and obtaining the signatures of various Opposition MPs is currently underway. Top sources in the opposition said the resolution is likely to be submitted today itself.

Sources said the decision to move the resolution was taken at a meeting of Opposition leaders held in the chamber of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge this morning. The TMC also attended the meeting, besides other parties including the Left, DMK, SP, RJD, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and RSP.

This will be the fourth such notice against a sitting Speaker of the Lok Sabha. The first resolution was moved against M V Malavankar, which was defeated. Later, a resolution was moved against then Speaker Hukum Singh, which could not be taken up due to lack of numbers in the House. Another similar resolution, the third one, was moved against then Speaker Balram Jakhar, which was also defeated.

Separately, women Congress MPs have written to Speaker Om Birla over the "unsubstantiated allegations" made by him against Congress women MPs. In a letter signed by several women MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, they have objected to the "baseless allegations against women members of Parliament and the denial of Opposition's Parliamentary rights."

Their letter to the Speaker comes days after Birla stated in the House that he had "concrete information" that many Congress members might move towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's seat and carry out "some unexpected act" as a result of which he had requested him not to come to the House to reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address.

In their letter, the women MPs of the Congress in the Lok Sabha said that, clearly pressured by the ruling party to defend the "non-appearance of the Prime Minister", Birla issued a statement making grave allegations against the women MPs of the party.