Congress to Submit No-Confidence Motion Against LS Speaker Birla
New Delhi: After repeated delays and disruptions in the Lok Sabha, the Congress party is set to move a no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla. Sources said the notification will be given to Lok Sabha General Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh.
The Lower House reconvened on Tuesday but was adjourned until noon due to slogans from Opposition members. Congress MPs had signed the motion of no confidence on Monday.
Sources said the motion had the support of the Samajwadi Party and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam but the Trinamool Congress decided not to sign it. If Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi is not allowed to address the Parliament, the Congress may proceed with the motion.
The dispute stems from Gandhi being prevented from speaking during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address after he quoted former Army chief Gen MM Naravane’s unpublished memoirs on the 2020 India-China standoff. The speaker had decided that unpublished material should not be quoted.
Gandhi later questioned claims that the book was not published and said the former Army commander had promoted the book on the internet and its contents were inappropriate for the government.
The BJP hit back sharply, with MP Nishikant Dubey accusing the Congress of misleading Parliament and demanding strict action, citing the publisher’s statement that the book was not published.
Although Congress lacks the numbers to pass a no-confidence motion, the issue is expected to disrupt parliamentary sessions this week.
