Indian Parliament Sees Intense Debate Over No-Confidence Motion Against Speaker Om Birla

ABU HAYAT BISWAS: The Lok Sabha witnessed intense political sparring over the motion to remove the Speaker after nearly four decades. The Opposition questioned the impartiality of Speaker Om Birla when the House met on Tuesday to discuss the no-confidence motion moved by opposition parties. Though the chances of passage of the motion were slim, the Opposition used the debate as an important opportunity to register its grievances inside the House. The motion was moved by Congress MP Mohammad Javed. He alleged that Om Birla, as Speaker, had failed to maintain the impartiality required to win the confidence of all parties in the House. He said that if the Speaker was not impartial, the democratic functioning of the House would suffer. Participating in the debate on the motion, Deputy Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi launched a scathing attack. "The Speaker is not the voice of the government; his job is to protect the dignity and impartiality of the House." Gogoi said the motion was not aimed at Om Birla personally, but at protecting the interests of the Lok Sabha.