Will Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla be removed from office? 120 opposition MPs submit removal resolution - Here’s why

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The opposition on Tuesday submitted a notice for moving a resolution to remove Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla from office, PTI reported. Congress MP and chief whip K Suresh submitted the notice to the Lok Sabha secretariat on behalf of several opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the DMK.

The TMC MPs, however, did not sign the notice and were not a party to it. About 120 MPs of parties such as the Congress, DMK and Samajwadi Party, had already signed a notice for moving the resolution, PTI quoted sources. The Lok Sabha has not been functioning properly ever since Gandhi was not allowed to speak on February 2.

Why this resolution?

The resolution comes for disallowing Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders from speaking in the House on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address, as well as for the suspension of eight MPs.

Eight opposition MPs suspended

Eight opposition MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha, last week, for the rest of the Budget session after violating House rules and allegedly throwing papers at the Chair amid an uproar over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s demand to reference the 2020 eastern Ladakh standoff with China.

The House, which witnessed two adjournments earlier in the day, resumed proceedings at 3 pm and Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition, said that he would not refer to any magazine article about former Army Chief Gen MM Naravane's memoirs but make comments about Chinese action during the Kaislash Range standoff with China and the government's response, reported ANI.

The government said Rahul Gandhi could not cite an unpublished memoir or a magazine article based on it. The Chair directed him to continue his speech on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in line with the ruling already given. When he persisted with his remarks, the Chair called other members to speak, triggering sloganeering by Congress and opposition MPs that escalated as a TDP member began his address.

Amid uproar, some members were seen throwing papers. The House was adjourned till 3 pm. When the House resumed its proceedings, BJP member Dilip Saikia, who was in the Chair, named eight opposition members, according to ANI.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved the motion for suspension of the eight members for the remainder of the budget session for "violating rules and throwing papers on the chair" The motion was adopted by the House amid protests from the opposition members.

The Lok Sabha saw repeated adjournments yesterday also on the stalemate over Rahul Gandhi's attempts to make references to the magazine article.