English
New Delhi. The no confidence motion brought by the opposition to remove Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was rejected by voice vote on Wednesday. The motion was discussed for two days and sharp exchanges were seen in the House several times. In the end the motion fell because the government has the majority.
Uproar in the House during debate
On Wednesday when the discussion on the no confidence motion was going on opposition MPs started raising slogans during the speech of Home Minister Amit Shah. Noise and disruption increased in the House. After this the presiding chair Jagdambika Pal asked MPs to return to their seats.
Amid protest by the opposition voting was conducted by voice vote. The motion did not receive sufficient support and it was defeated. After this the Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the rest of the day.
118 opposition MPs had supported the motion
The motion to remove the Lok Sabha Speaker was brought with the support of about 118 opposition MPs. Opposition parties alleged that Speaker Om Birla did not maintain neutrality during the proceedings of the House and on several occasions showed partisan behaviour.
Permission for discussion on this motion was given on Tuesday. About ten hours were fixed for the debate during which both the ruling side and the opposition presented their arguments.
Amit Shah targeted the opposition
During the debate in Lok Sabha Home Minister Amit Shah described the no confidence motion as unfortunate. He said the position of the Speaker stands above party politics and the Constitution has given this post the role of a mediator.
Amit Shah said that after nearly four decades such a motion has come against the Lok Sabha Speaker for the first time. He called it unfortunate for parliamentary traditions and said the opposition has raised doubts on the very position meant to act as a mediator.
Rahul Gandhi made allegations
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also spoke during the debate. He said that many times he is not allowed to speak in the House. According to him Parliament is the voice of the people of India and it does not belong to any one party but represents the entire country.
Rahul Gandhi said whenever opposition members stand up to speak they are stopped and this goes against democratic tradition.
Accusations and counter attacks during debate
During the discussion on the no confidence motion sharp statements were exchanged between leaders of the ruling side and the opposition. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised the opposition and also commented on the conduct of Rahul Gandhi.
He said such behaviour in Parliament has never been seen before. On the other hand Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi defended Rahul Gandhi and said he is the only leader who speaks the truth in the House without bowing before the government.
