The second phase of Parliament's Budget Session begins on Monday, and the first debate is expected to be on a no-confidence motion against the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Om Birla. The Opposition has filed a notice against the Speaker in the first phase of the budget session, which was signed by 118 members.
At the time, the Trinamool Congress MPs did not sign the notice. But now the party has said it will support the Opposition's no-confidence motion against the Speaker.
Read: Opposition Submits No-Trust Motion Against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla
The rules require signatures of two MPs, a 14-day notice, and the support of 50 members in the House.
Three Congress MPs -- Mohammed Javed, Kodikunnil Suresh, and Mallu Ravi - had filed the notice for the no-confidence motion, which was supported by 118 opposition MPs.
The notice, accusing the Speaker of partisan behaviour, cited how the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders were not allowed to speak in the House and eight Opposition MPs were suspended for the entire Budget Session. Baseless allegations were made against the women MPs, the notice also alleged.
Once the notice is approved, a time for the debate will be fixed and the debate will take place in the Lok Sabha.
The rules dictate that the Speaker not sit on his chair during this debate and the Deputy Speaker conduct the proceedings. But in absence of a Deputy, the most senior MP in the panel of the Speaker will preside over the session. The candidate could be the BJP's Jagadambika Pal.
Read: No-Confidence Motion Against Om Birla: How A Lok Sabha Speaker Can Be Removed
This is not the first time a no-confidence motion has been brought against the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. In 1954, the first no-confidence motion was brought against then Speaker GV Mavalankar.
At the time, JB Kripalani was leading the opposition, and the leader who brought the no-confidence motion was Vigneshwar Mishra. Kripalani had split from the Congress in 1951 and had formed the Krishak Mazdoor Praja Party, which he merged with the PJA Socialist Party. That no-confidence motion against Mavalankar was defeated by a vote of 489 to 364.
In 1966, Madhu Limaye brought a no-confidence motion against then Lok Sabha Speaker Hukum Singh. But it was rejected due to insufficient numbers.
In 1987, CPM leader Somnath Chatterjee brought a no-confidence motion against then Speaker Balram Jakhar. Thambi Durai was the Deputy Speaker at the time, and this motion was also defeated.
In December 2024, the Opposition had given a notice of no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. It was signed by 60 members of the Opposition, but Deputy Chairman Harivansh had rejected it.
Read: PM Modi Calls Om Birla An "Excellent Speaker" Ahead Of No-Confidence Motion
A simple majority of 272 is required to remove the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. But even with the support of the Trinamool Congress, the Opposition falls short.
In the current Lok Sabha, the government has the support of 293 MPs -- 240 from the BJP, 16 from the JDU, 12 from the TDP, and other NDA parties, providing a sufficient majority.
The Opposition has only 238 MPs, of whom 99 are from the Congress and the rest from the Samajwadi Party, DMK, Trinamool Congress, and others.
So if the no-confidence motion against the Speaker is brought to vote, the Opposition will likely be defeated. But the debate will be heated since the Opposition is unlikely to hold back.
from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/Luykeld