No-confidence move against Om Birla set to dominate Lok Sabha as session resumes
The Parliament looked set for a high-stakes, high-friction resumption on Monday, March 9, after a recess in the ongoing Budget Session, with the Lok Sabha seeing much of the action.
This part of the session, which concludes on April 2, begins with the House taking up a formal resolution moved by the Congress-led Opposition to remove Speaker Om Birla.
The BJP-led NDA’s treasury benches are preparing a counter-offensive to put the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, in a situation wherein he may face expulsion from Parliament altogether.
The ongoing US-Iran conflict is set to make an appearance too.
The primary agenda for the day is a no-confidence motion backed by 118 MPs from the INDIA bloc against Speaker Om Birla.
The Opposition has accused Birla of “brazenly partisan” conduct, alleging that he has muzzled their voices and favoured the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
While the Trinamool Congress (TMC), election-bound West Bengal’s ruling party, initially hesitated to sign the notice, the party has confirmed that its MPs will support the resolution.
This comes at a time when the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accused TMC boss and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee of insulting President Droupadi Murmu by not attending an event.
Mamata Banerjee has hit back with allegations that the BJP was “misusing the President’s stature” and making false accusations.