119 MPs submit notice seeking removal of Om Birla as Lok Sabha speaker

Opposition on Tuesday escalated its fight over conduct of Budget Session by submitting a notice signed by 119 MPs seeking removal of Om Birla as Lok Sabha Speaker accusing him of acting in a "blatantly partisan" manner even as it got a jolt as Trinamool Congress stayed away from endorsing the move.

Soon after the submission of the notice, a faux pas by Congress managers who drafted the notice came to light -- mentioning the year as 2025 while referring to some incidents that took place last week in Lok Sabha -- prompting them to submit a fresh notice.

Congress Chief Whip Kodikkunnil Suresh led a team of Opposition MPs to submit the notice before Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh at around 1 PM, after last minute negotiations with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju did not succeed over allowing Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to raise contentious issues, including Gen MM Naravane's book.

Birla did not chair the Lok Sabha proceedings during the day. Initially, the Opposition was planning to submit the ten page notice with signature and text of resolution around 11:30 AM but they deferred it as a meeting was scheduled with Rijiju. The Opposition were of the view that they will not move ahead with the "no-confidence motion" against Birla, if Rahul is allowed to speak.

Senior Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and KC Venugopal, DMK's TR Baalu, Samajwadi Party's Dimple Yadav, CPI(M)'s K Radhakrishnan, RSP' NK Premachandran and VCK's Thol Thirumavalavan were among the MPs from 12 parties, including RJD, NCP-SP, National Conference, Kerala Congress (J) and CPI(ML) who signed the notice.

Trinamool did not sign the notice with its Lok Sabha floor leader Abhishek Banerjee saying his party has "no problem" in signing the notice but insisted that the Opposition should first approach Om Birla with their grievances, such as the suspension of eight MPs. "If our grievances are not addressed in three days, we can always move a motion," he told reporters.

The text of the motion the Opposition proposes to move in the House claimed that Birla has "ceased to maintain an impartial attitude necessary to command the confidence of all sections of the House; that in his partisan attitude he disregards the rights of Members of the House and makes pronouncements and gives rulings calculated to affect and undermine such rights."

It also claimed that he "openly espouses the version of the ruling party (BJP) on all controversial matters, that all these acts constitute a serious danger to the proper functioning of this House and ventilating effectively the felt concerns and grievances of the people, and therefore resolves that he be removed from his Office".

In the notice, the Opposition claimed that Rahul was on February 2 not allowed to speak, which they claimed "was not an isolated instance" and that "almost invariably (he is) not allowed to speak. The second charge was about the "arbitrary" suspension of 8 MPs on February 3, penalising "merely for exercising their democratic rights".

They also found fault with allowing a BJP MP, Nishikant Dubey, to make "wholly objectionable and personalised attacks" on two former Prime Ministers without being reprimanded and no action was taken against him.

The Opposition also accused Birla of making "unwarranted allegations" against women Opposition MPs with regard to protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Birla directed the Secretary General to examine the notice and take appropriate action, sources said.