The Lok Sabha rejected a no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday, with the resolution defeated by a voice vote amid a storm of slogans and protests. Following the result, the House was adjourned for the day and is scheduled to meet again tomorrow morning at 11 am.
The motion, led by the Opposition, accused the Speaker of bias and failing to protect the neutrality of the chamber— claims the government dismissed as baseless during an afternoon of fractious debate. Home Minister Amit Shah spearheaded the government's defence, calling the resolution a "deeply regrettable" moment in Indian parliamentary history. He argued that the Speaker acts as a neutral custodian for both sides of the House and noted that such a motion had not been attempted in nearly forty years.
Shah further pointed out that during the Bharatiya Janata Party’s long stint in opposition, they never sought to remove a Speaker in this manner. Opposition benches, however, used the floor to voice frustrations over what they described as the "shrinking space" for dissent. A scathing criticism came from Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Abhay Kumar Sinha, who claimed that the Chair had become a "symbol of tyranny" instead of a symbol of independence. He spoke of a "black day" when more than 140 members of Parliament were suspended in one session and said that true democracy had to allow even the weakest voice to be heard without the constant refrain of "No, No, No" from the podium.
Other opposition members highlighted technical grievances, such as Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MP Vijay Kumar Hansdak, who claimed that cameras are often diverted away from opposition members when they speak. Adding a touch of dry humour to the proceedings, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MP Bajrang Manohar Sonwane compared the Speaker’s attention to a table fan, remarking that it only seems to provide "cooling" to the right side of the House. He admitted that while the opposition knew the numbers were against them, the motion was a necessary tool to highlight the erosion of their democratic rights within the chamber.
Also read: Shah slams Oppn over no-trust motion against Speaker Om Birla
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