NEW DELHI: Opposition parties, led by the Congress, have decided to move a 'no-confidence' motion to remove Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, following a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday morning.
The decision comes amid continuing disruptions in Parliament, including a row over the Lok Sabha Speaker not allowing Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to speak in the House.
A notice for the motion is has been submitted to Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh by Congress chief whip Suresh Kodikunnil and Mohammad Jawed.
The notice was submitted after talks between the Congress MPs and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju failed to yield any results.
Congress leaders said they had secured 106 signatures from MPs, crossing the requirement of 100 needed to move the resolution in Parliament.
The motion has the backing of the Samajwadi Party and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has not formally declared its position. TMC leaders did not attend the meeting.
Meanwhile, Opposition parties also agreed to take part in the discussion on the Union Budget later in the day.
The move follows sharp exchanges in the House on Monday, after the Speaker accused opposition parties of “planning” disruptions.
Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were adjourned for the day amid a stand-off between the government and the opposition over Gandhi’s demand that he be allowed to speak before the Budget debate began.
Parliament has witnessed repeated disruptions since February 2, with opposition members protesting several issues, including the Chair’s decision to disallow Gandhi from quoting an article that referred to an unpublished memoir by former Army chief MM Naravane on the 2020 India-China border clash.
Last week, seven Congress MPs and one CPI(M) member were suspended for the remainder of the session following disorderly scenes in the House.