NEW DELHI, Feb 10: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday decided to step aside from his role as the presiding officer of the House, hours after the opposition submitted a notice for his removal from office alleging that he had acted in a “blatantly partisan” manner.
Lok Sabha officials said the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition against the speaker was likely to be taken up on March 9, when the House re-assembles after the recess to examine budgetary proposals.
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“Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has taken a big decision, upholding the highest standards of morality. He will not sit in the speaker’s chair until the no-confidence motion brought by the opposition is settled,” an official said.
Article 96 of the Constitution bars a speaker or a deputy speaker from presiding over the House sitting while a resolution for his removal from office is under consideration.
The speaker has a constitutional right to defend himself in the House if the resolution is discussed in the Lok Sabha.
Meanwhile, the officials said the speaker directed Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh to examine the notice served by the opposition for moving a resolution to remove him from office and take appropriate action according to rules.
At least 118 opposition members submitted a notice for moving the resolution to remove Birla from office for not allowing Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders to speak in the House on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, as well as for suspending eight MPs.
Congress member and chief whip K Suresh submitted the notice to the Lok Sabha secretariat on behalf of several opposition parties, including his party, Samajwadi Party and DMK.
TMC MPs, however, did not sign the notice.
Three Lok Sabha speakers G V Mavlankar (1954), Hukam Singh (1966) and Balram Jakhar (1987) had faced no-confidence motions in the past, which were negatived. (PTI)
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