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A heated debate unfolded in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday as Union Home Minister Amit Shah sharply attacked the Opposition during the debate on a resolution seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla, accusing them of undermining parliamentary traditions and spreading misinformation about the functioning of the House.
Replying to the two-day debate on the motion moved by Congress MP Mohammad Jawed, Shah said bringing such a resolution against the Speaker was "unfortunate" for parliamentary politics and stressed that members must follow the rules of the House. "This is not ordinary. After about four decades, a No-Confidence Motion against the Lok Sabha Speaker has been brought. It is unfortunate for Parliamentary politics and this House," Shah said. Defending the institution of the Speaker, he said the Constitution gives the Speaker the role of a neutral mediator between the ruling party and the Opposition. "According to the established history of this House, its proceedings are conducted on the basis of mutual trust. The Speaker serves as a neutral custodian, representing both the ruling party and the Opposition," Shah said. He added that Parliament cannot function like an open forum without rules. "This House is not a marketplace; members are expected to speak and participate according to its rules and procedures," he said. Shah also accused the Opposition of weakening democratic institutions by questioning the Speaker's role. "The Constitution has given the role of a mediator to the Speaker. You cast suspicions on the mediator. In 75 years, both Houses have deepened the foundation of our democracy. The Opposition has questioned the reputation of that deep foundation," he said. The Home Minister said that although the BJP had spent years in the Opposition, it had never moved a no-confidence motion against a Lok Sabha Speaker. "Three times, such a motion has been introduced in the history of this House, but neither the BJP nor the NDA has ever brought forward such a motion," he added. During his speech, Shah also targeted Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of complaining about not being allowed to speak while often being absent from the House. Referring to Gandhi's foreign trips, Shah said, "LoP says he is not allowed to speak. But when it is a chance to speak, you are seen in Germany, in England. Then he complains." Citing parliamentary data, he said Congress MPs spoke for 157 hours and 55 minutes in the current Lok Sabha session and questioned why Gandhi did not use the opportunities available. He also mocked Gandhi for allegedly seeking a discussion in Parliament on his press conference. "He suddenly had an idea to have a debate on his own press conference. This is not a market. This is the Lok Sabha. From your great-grandfather to your grandmother to your father, there were tall leaders in India, but the Lok Sabha never had a debate on anyone's press conference," Shah said. The Home Minister further questioned Gandhi's parliamentary attendance record. "In the 17th Lok Sabha, his attendance was 51%, while the national average was 66%. In the 16th Lok Sabha, it was 52% against a national average of 80%. In the 15th Lok Sabha, his attendance was 43% while the national average was 76%," Shah said as Opposition members protested. Amid loud sloganeering by Opposition MPs, the Lok Sabha eventually rejected the resolution seeking Birla's removal through a voice vote. BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was presiding over the proceedings, called for the vote after Shah concluded his reply. More than 42 members had participated in the debate. The motion had been backed by 118 Opposition MPs, who accused the Speaker of "partisan behaviour." Furthermore, during the debate, Shah also accused the Congress of spreading "lies" about Indian farmers suffering losses due to the India-US interim trade deal. He said the real setback for farmers occurred during negotiations at the World Trade Organisation in 2013 under the Congress-led government. "Opposition says Indian farmers suffered losses due to the India-US trade deal. This claim is a lie being spread. Indian farmers have not suffered losses in any agreement," Shah said. He argued that decisions taken during the 2013 WTO negotiations had put India's agricultural support system at risk. Meanwhile, the Opposition strongly objected to Shah's remarks about Rahul Gandhi, leading to protests and sloganeering in the House. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, speaking after the session, said the Home Minister should have confined his remarks to the motion against the Speaker. "The no-confidence motion was against the Speaker, not Rahul ji. He should have spoken on that issue. He used an unparliamentary word in Parliament today, but the Chair did not object to it," she told reporters. Congress leader KC Venugopal also criticised Shah, saying the discussion was meant to address the Speaker's conduct, not Rahul Gandhi's presence in the House. "The issue for discussion is the unconstitutional and anti-democratic conduct of the Speaker, not whether LoP Rahul Gandhi is in the House or not," he wrote on X. "And where is the Prime Minister when such a serious issue is being debated? Why has he deserted the House? Not only has he given this Session a miss, but also was absent on multiple critical occasions - including the Vote of Thanks to the President, the GST Bill, and did not vote on the Triple Talaq Bill either. Does that not show how little he cares about Parliamentary democracy? If the BJP had an ounce of concern for democracy beyond lip-service, they would give space to the Speaker to carry out his duties in a neutral and impartial way," the post further read. Furthermore, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that a word used by the Home Minister during the debate had been expunged from the records of Parliament. "One of the Home Minister's favourite words uttered again today in the Lok Sabha has been expunged," Ramesh said in a post, accusing the ruling side of using abusive language in debates. "It had previously been used and expunged on December 10, 2025. Earlier on Feb 6 2020, a word used by the Prime Minister in the Rajya Sabha had also been expunged. G2 are Masters of Abuse & Defamation," the post further read. Despite the sharp exchanges and protests, the House rejected the resolution against Birla. (ANI)
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