Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat slammed the Centre for 'suppressing the opposition,' announcing a no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla. The motion has support from the SP and DMK and is planned for the second half of the budget session.
Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat on Monday hit out at the Central government for "suppressing the voice of Opposition." He claimed that it is a sad state of affairs with how things are being "imposed" in the House, which is why the Opposition MPs are bringing in a no-confidence motion. "The throne belongs to the Constitution, not to the ruling party in government. The way things are being imposed out of prejudice, with the opposition's voice being suppressed, is very saddening," Bhagat told ANI outside Parliament.
Opposition to Move No-Confidence Motion
Congress MPs have signed a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, sources said on Monday. The motion has the support of the Samajwadi Party and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has not yet declared its position. Congress' floor managers are in talks with other parties.
Sources added that the party has clarified that it has enough MPs to submit a no-confidence motion notice. Even if one or two parties do not support it, Congress intends to move the motion within the constitutional timeframe. The Opposition MPs are planning to move a no confidence motion against Speaker in the second half of the budget session.
Lok Sabha Adjourned Amid Protests
Earlier today, the Lower house of the parliament was adjourned till tomorrow after it reconvened its session at 2 pm following two adjournments since it commenced Monday's session at 11 am. Opposition MPs continued to demand a discussion on the India-US interim trade framework. and the Lower House of Parliament was adjourned till February 10.
Dispute Over Assurance in House
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi claimed that he was given a personal assurance that he would be allowed to raise certain points on the floor before discussion on the budget starts, but the Lok Sabha Chair was "going back on their word".
However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju dismissed the claims by Gandhi, saying that no assurance was given during the meeting held between Speaker Om Birla and Congress MP K C Venugopal, which he also attended.
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