No-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla likely on March 9

Speaker Om Birla has reportedly directed the Lok Sabha Secretary-General to examine the notice and initiate the required procedural steps.

• Lok Sabha to discuss motion for Speaker Om Birla's removal on March 9
• Congress submits no-confidence motion, supported by 118 Opposition MPs
• Speaker Om Birla steps aside from presiding until notice is resolved

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The Lok Sabha is likely to take up the motion seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla on March 9, the first day of the second phase of the Budget Session, according to sources in the Lok Sabha Secretariat as cited by ANI.

The development follows the submission of a no-confidence motion notice by the Congress against the Lok Sabha Speaker on Tuesday under Rule 94C of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said the notice was submitted at 1.14 pm. According to sources in the party, 118 Opposition MPs have signed the motion.

Speaker Om Birla, as per sources cited in the ANI report, has directed the Lok Sabha Secretary-General to examine the notice and initiate the required procedural steps. On moral grounds, the Speaker has also decided not to preside over House proceedings until the notice is disposed of.

Opposition parties have accused the Chair of "blatantly partisan" conduct and alleged that leaders of Opposition parties were repeatedly denied opportunities to speak in the House.

The notice reportedly cites four instances, including the allegation that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to speak during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. Gandhi had attempted to refer to former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane’s unpublished memoir while raising issues related to the 2020 India-China standoff, which was disallowed by the Chair.

Additionally, the notice flags the suspension of eight MPs, remarks by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey described by the Opposition as "objectionable and personalised" against former Prime Ministers, and a statement by the Speaker that he had advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to attend a House sitting after receiving inputs about a possible disruption near the Prime Minister’s seat.

While 118 MPs have signed the motion, sources cited by ANI have clarified that Rahul Gandhi did not sign the notice, citing the parliamentary convention that the Leader of Opposition does not sign a petition seeking the Speaker’s removal.

Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party and the DMK have extended support to the move.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has, however, advised the Congress to first submit a written appeal to the Speaker and give him two to three days to respond before proceeding further. TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee said the party would support the no-confidence motion if the Speaker failed to act on the Opposition’s appeal within the stipulated timeframe.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore said the decision to move the motion was taken in "extraordinary circumstances," alleging a consistent denial of opportunities to Opposition MPs to raise issues of public importance.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot questioned the government’s reluctance to allow discussion on General Naravane’s memoir and said the government should either refute or clarify the claims made in the book regarding the 2020 standoff with China.

The ruling BJP has, in the meantime, strongly criticised the move.

Union Minister Chirag Paswan defended Speaker Om Birla, calling the motion "condemnable" and accusing the Opposition of disrupting parliamentary functioning. BJP MP Sambit Patra also accused the Congress of disregarding parliamentary decorum.

The controversy over the memoir has continued, with publisher Penguin Random House stating that the book has not yet been published and clarifying that pre-orders do not constitute publication. General Naravane later endorsed the publisher’s position, confirming that his memoir Four Stars of Destiny has not yet been released.

The no-confidence motion, once formally admitted, is expected to be discussed when the Lok Sabha reconvenes on March 9.