SC agrees to hear plea against Assam CM; Cong files police complaint over ‘point-blank shot’ video

Opposition parties on Monday escalated their confrontation with the government by submitting a notice for a no-confidence motion against Om Birla, accusing the Speaker of acting in a partisan manner and denying Opposition members adequate opportunity to speak in the Lok Sabha.

Congress’ deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, chief whip K. Suresh and whip Mohamed Jawed submitted the notice to Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh on behalf of several Opposition parties, including the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the DMK.

The Trinamool Congress MPs, however, did not sign the notice and were not a party to the move.

Around 120 MPs belonging to parties such as the Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) had already signed the notice seeking to move the resolution, sources said.

The move comes amid repeated disruptions in the Lower House during the ongoing Budget session, with Opposition parties alleging that parliamentary conventions were being disregarded and that senior Opposition leaders were being denied the opportunity to place their views on record.

Opposition leaders have cited instances where Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was not permitted to speak during key debates, including the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, despite established parliamentary practice.

The Congress has alleged that the Speaker’s conduct amounted to a breach of constitutional neutrality expected of the Chair and said the denial of speaking time had undermined parliamentary democracy.

The notice for the no-confidence motion was submitted amid a broader standoff between the government and Opposition parties, marked by repeated adjournments, protests and walkouts. Several Opposition MPs were suspended earlier in the session, further escalating tensions.

While the Congress and several Opposition parties backed the motion, the TMC maintained a distance, indicating differences within the Opposition bloc on the timing and strategy of the move. Party sources said the TMC was adopting a wait-and-watch approach and would decide its future course based on how the Speaker addressed concerns raised by Opposition parties.

Earlier in the day, women Congress MPs wrote to Birla rejecting allegations that they had planned disruptions in the House, calling the claims baseless and politically motivated.

The Opposition has also placed what it described as a “truce formula” before the Speaker, seeking restoration of normal functioning of the House. The proposal includes revocation of suspensions, assurances of speaking time for Opposition leaders, and adherence to parliamentary conventions.

The government has not issued an official response to the notice. BJP leaders have accused the Opposition of deliberately stalling parliamentary business and avoiding debate on legislative and economic issues.

A no-confidence motion against a sitting Speaker is rare in parliamentary practice and is largely symbolic, given the government’s numerical strength. However, the move reflects the depth of the political confrontation in Parliament and is expected to intensify debate over the conduct of proceedings in the days ahead.