Opposition No-trust In Lok Sabha Speaker

According to sources, the discussion on the motion for removal of the Speaker will likely be taken on March 9, when Parliament reconvenes after a short break.

About 120 Opposition MPs submitted the notice for moving the resolution to remove Birla from office for not allowing Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders to speak in the House on the motion of thanks to the President's address, as well as for suspending eight MPs. Gandhi did not sign the notice. Justifying this, Congress sources said: “It is not proper for the Leader of the Opposition to sign a petition for the removal of the Speaker in a parliamentary democracy.”
Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, chief whip K. Suresh and whip Mohamed Jawed submitted the notice under Article 94(c) of the Constitution to the Lok Sabha secretary general. According to sources, the notice was signed by MPs from the Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, Left parties, the RJD, Shiv Sena(UBT) and NCP(SP).
The BJP alleged that the Congress and its allies have been attacking constitutional institutions and posts at the behest of US-based billionaire George Soros since the BJP-NDA returned to power for a third consecutive term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

Hitting back at the Opposition, particularly the Congress, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "Those who have been impeached of their consciousness are the ones who want to impeach all the constitutional posts of India."
"The entire country is watching the behaviour of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party in the House," Patra said. He alleged that at the behest of Mr Gandhi, an attempt was made to gherao the Prime Minister's seat so that they could do something to harm him.
"What kind of thinking is this? I think the entire country will now have to think over this. The time has come for India to impeach Gandhi and the Congress party from politics," Patra said and slammed the TMC for giving a call to the Opposition parties to move an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Parliament, saying those who have been "impeached" by the people want to impeach the "entire world".

"We, the undersigned, hereby give notice of a resolution for the removal of Shri Om Birla from the office of Speaker Lok Sabha, in terms of the provisions of Article 94(c) of the Constitution of India, because of the blatantly partisan manner in which he has been conducting the business of the Lok Sabha," the notice said, adding that on several occasions, the leaders of the Opposition parties have just not been allowed to speak, which is their basic democratic right in Parliament.

The notice also cited that on February 2, Mr Gandhi was not allowed to complete his speech on the motion of thanks to the President's address. “This is not an isolated instance. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha is almost invariably not allowed to speak,” it claimed.
The notice stated that on February 3, eight opposition MPs were "arbitrarily suspended" for the entire Budget Session and are being penalised merely for exercising their democratic rights.
On February 4, a BJP MP was permitted to make wholly objectionable and personalised attacks on two former Prime Ministers without being reprimanded even once for disregarding established conventions and norms of propriety, it said, in an apparent reference to Nishikant Dubey's remarks.
"In spite of our request, no action has been taken against this particular MP, who is a habitual offender," the notice said.
The notice also referred to Birla's remarks that he had "concrete information that many Congress members might move towards the Prime Minister Narendra's seat and carry out some unexpected act as a result of which he had requested him not to come to the House to reply to the discussion on the motion of thanks on the President's address".
"The aforementioned remarks cast blatantly false allegations against the members of the Indian National Congress and are derogatory in nature. The Speaker, who is required to be the custodian of the rules of procedure and the norms of parliamentary decorum, chose the floor of the House to make such statements, which is indicative of an abuse of this constitutional office," the notice said.
"While we hold the Speaker, Lok Sabha, in personal regard, we are pained and anguished at the manner in which he has consistently prevented opposition members of Parliament from raising issues of legitimate public concern," the notice also said.
The decision to submit the notice was taken by the Opposition at a meeting of floor leaders in the office of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in the morning.