New Delhi: The Opposition Tuesday submitted a notice seeking the removal of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accusing him of acting in a “blatantly partisan” way, “indicative of an abuse of this constitutional office”, marking an extraordinary breakdown of trust between rival benches and the custodian of the highest legislative office.
If the notice is admitted and the motion taken up, it would mark the fourth instance since the birth of the Indian Republic—and the first since 1987—that a Lok Sabha Speaker has faced a move for removal. However, as in the past, the resolution appears headed for defeat, with the Opposition lacking the numbers required to see it through.
In its notice, the Congress-led Opposition sought to indict Birla on four counts: disallowing Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi from finishing his speech on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, suspending eight Congress MPs, allowing a BJP MP’s objectionable attacks on Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, and accusing Congress MPs of planning an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“We, the undersigned, hereby give notice of a resolution for the removal of Shri Om Birla from the office of Speaker, Lok Sabha, in terms of the provisions of Article 94(c) of the Constitution of India, because of the blatantly partisan manner in which he has been conducting the business of the Lok Sabha. On several occasions, leaders of Opposition parties have just not been allowed to speak, which is their basic democratic right in Parliament,” the notice stated.
Article 94(c) of the Constitution states that the Lok Sabha Speaker or Deputy Speaker can be removed from office by a resolution of the House, passed by a majority of all the then members of the Lok Sabha, provided that at least 14 days’ notice of the intention to move such a resolution is given.
In the notice, the Opposition asserted that Birla’s statement that he had requested the Prime Minister not to attend the Lok Sabha last Wednesday, because he had “concrete information” that some Congress MPs could carry out “some unexpected act” was “blatantly false” and “derogatory” in nature.
“The Speaker, who is required to be the custodian of the Rules of Procedure and the norms of parliamentary decorum, chose the floor of the House to make such statements, which is indicative of an abuse of this constitutional office,” the notice, which was submitted to the Lok Sabha secretary general, read.
The Opposition—with the exception of the TMC that broke ranks, saying it favoured first appealing to Birla and giving him three days to respond—said that it held the Speaker in personal regard but was “pained and anguished” at the manner in which he had consistently prevented its leaders from raising issues of legitimate public concern.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, TMC MP and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said his party would sign the notice if it is submitted after giving Birla time to respond.
“If it is brought today, AITC (All India Trinamool Congress) will maintain its stand that a letter (to Birla) should be sent first. If someone has committed an error, they should be given a chance to rectify it. If we do not do that, then what would be the difference between us & PM Modi? What would be the difference between us and the BJP?” he said.
Resolutions seeking the removal of a Lok Sabha Speaker have been moved thrice in the past—in 1954 against G.V. Mavalankar, in 1966 against Sardar Hukum Singh, and in 1987 against Balram Jakhar.
Mavalankar faced a no-trust motion moved by a Socialist Party MP who had accused him of partisanship. The House debated the issue but ultimately rejected the motion.
In Hukum Singh’s case, the proposal did not come up for discussion as it failed to secure the minimum support required on the floor.
The resolution against Jakhar was also defeated in the House.
In March 2023, the Opposition mooted a resolution to remove Speaker Birla, but the move did not materialise.
In December 2024, the Opposition had submitted a notice in the Rajya Sabha seeking the removal of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar as Chairman of the Upper House, alleging partisan conduct and bias towards the Treasury benches during proceedings.
It was rejected at the preliminary stage on procedural grounds, stalling the effort.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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