New Delhi: The third day of the second phase of Parliament’s Budget Session witnessed heated exchanges in the Lok Sabha as discussion continued on the opposition’s no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla.
During the debate, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Rahul Gandhi and the opposition of repeatedly disrupting the House. Responding to the remarks, Rahul Gandhi said the opposition was frequently interrupted whenever it attempted to speak.
Gandhi said the debate was about democracy and the role of the Speaker. “Several times my name was taken during the discussion, but whenever we try to speak, we are stopped,” he said.
Referring to his previous speech, Gandhi said he had raised the issue of “compromise” regarding the Prime Minister. “The House represents the country. For the first time, the Leader of the Opposition was not allowed to speak. The Prime Minister is compromised,” he alleged.
Ravi Shankar Prasad immediately objected, saying, “Never… never. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s India will never be compromised.” He also criticised the opposition, saying it lacked basic understanding of parliamentary conduct. Prasad added that despite repeated incidents where the Speaker’s chair was surrounded and papers were thrown in the House, Om Birla maintained composure.
The Lok Sabha is currently debating the no-confidence motion brought by the opposition seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla. Around 10 hours have been allotted for the discussion, with nearly seven hours of debate already completed on Tuesday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to address the House during the debate on Wednesday.
The motion was moved on Tuesday after opposition MPs accused the Speaker of bias in conducting the proceedings of the House. After more than 50 MPs supported the proposal, the presiding officer allowed it to be introduced and scheduled a discussion.
Opening the debate, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was interrupted around 20 times during the Budget Session and was repeatedly shown the rule book.
The opposition alleged that the Speaker was functioning under pressure from the government.
However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju rejected the allegations and said Om Birla conducts the House proceedings impartially. He also criticised Rahul Gandhi, saying that during the 15th Lok Sabha the Leader of the Opposition spoke only twice and often left the House after making his remarks.
Rijiju added that the opposition complains about not being allowed to speak, but does not stay in the House to listen to others.
