Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday responded to the no-confidence motion moved against him by opposition parties, directing the Lower House secretariat to examine the notice and expedite the process. The development was reported by Hindustan Times, citing details of the Speaker’s response shortly after the submission of the motion.
According to the report, the motion—bearing 118 signatures—was formally submitted to Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh by Congress leaders K. Suresh, Gaurav Gogoi and Md. Javed. Speaker Birla is said to have issued instructions to the secretariat within an hour of receiving the notice, asking officials to review it and proceed with necessary steps in accordance with established procedures.
The resolution has been moved under Article 94(c) of the Constitution and alleges that proceedings in the Lok Sabha have been conducted in a “blatantly partisan manner”, as per the text of the notice accessed by Hindustan Times. The opposition has raised concerns over what it describes as bias in the conduct of House business and restrictions on members’ participation.
The no-confidence motion comes amid persistent disruptions in the Lok Sabha. The House has witnessed repeated adjournments and confrontations between treasury and opposition benches since last week, following a dispute over Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to cite excerpts from an unpublished memoir by former Army Chief General (Retd.) M. M. Naravane during a discussion related to India-China relations.
The ongoing impasse has led to unusual developments in parliamentary proceedings. In a rare occurrence, the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address was passed in the Lok Sabha without the customary reply from the Prime Minister. According to the Hindustan Times report, this marked the first such instance in 22 years.
Speaker Birla had earlier stated that he had received credible inputs suggesting that some Congress MPs might approach the Prime Minister’s seat and potentially cause disruptions when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to address the House. The Prime Minister ultimately did not deliver his speech, and the Motion of Thanks was adopted through a voice vote on Thursday.
The situation in the Lok Sabha continues to remain tense, with the Speaker’s office now set to examine the no-confidence notice as per parliamentary rules.
