NEW DELHI: The discussion on the no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker on Tuesday saw several opposition MPs raise procedural and constitutional objections, including that the government has not filled the post of deputy speaker for the past seven years and that the House was not consulted on the selection process for the chair during the discussion.
Raising the issues during the discussion, Congress MP K C Venugopal said that the ruling regime is exploiting a Constitutional vacuum of their own creation by not appointing a deputy speaker. .
“For 7 years, the Lok Sabha has not had a Deputy Speaker, who is supposed to be presiding over these proceedings. As a result, a member of the panel of Chairpersons is presiding over the No Confidence Motion against the Speaker.
However, this Panel is appointed solely by the Speaker, thus making it ineligible to preside over a debate that deals with the Speaker’s removal. We demanded that the House elect a presiding officer who can act as Chairperson for this motion,” he said.
Starting the discussion, Congress’s deputy leader in the House, Gaurav Gogoi said, during a motion to remove the Speaker, process for selecting a substitute must be transparent.