New Delhi, March 10 Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said on Tuesday that the opposition was compelled to move a resolution to remove Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to "save the Constitution," accusing Birla of partisan behavior.
Initiating the debate on the resolution to remove Birla from his position, Gogoi claimed that the atmosphere in Parliament has become such that the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) was not allowed to speak in the House during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address in February because the country's leadership is "weak."
Explaining why the opposition moved the resolution, Gogoi, representing Jorhat in Assam, said, "We stated that in February, when the LoP wanted to speak on the motion of thanks to the President's address, he was interrupted 20 times by the Speaker and members of the chairpersons' panel, senior members of the treasury benches. The interruptions were premeditated."
"The Speaker did not allow the LoP to speak. The LoP was repeatedly interrupted while attempting to raise critical issues that needed to be known by the House and the people of the country," Gogoi said.
He pointed out that Rahul Gandhi wanted to discuss former army chief MM Naravane's remarks in his unpublished book, in which he reportedly received direction from the country's political leadership, and was told, "Do what you feel is right."
At this point, Jagdambika Pal, who was in the chair, urged Gogoi to stick to the reasons for bringing the resolution against Birla.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju intervened, saying that this was a discussion about the Speaker, and if the opposition was talking about other issues, they should not interrupt when "we are replying."
Gogoi claimed that if a transcript of the proceedings were examined, Rijiju would be found to have interrupted opposition members most often.
Home Minister Amit Shah then quipped that it was true that Rijiju had interrupted the most, but there had never been such an opposition before.
After several interruptions, Gogoi resumed his speech and said that Rahul Gandhi, in February, wanted to raise the issue of the ongoing investigation in the US against a businessman, which also mentioned a minister, but was not allowed.
Gandhi also wanted to discuss trade deals between the EU and the US with India. "He (Gandhi) asked what made India rush into a deal with the US and make concessions that would be detrimental to our farmers," Gogoi said.
"When the LoP wanted to bring these critical issues to light, the Speaker demanded authentication, and the LoP agreed to do so. However, the treasury benches repeatedly opposed this and did not allow the LoP to speak," Gogoi said.
Earlier, the Congress MP cited the case of Nabam Rebia versus the deputy speaker, stating that the Supreme Court had said that the Speaker is expected to have a "sense of elevated independence, impeccable objectivity, irreproachable fairness and above all, absolute impartiality."
"I want to ask, the Speaker set up the panel of chairpersons. But who decided who would preside over the proceedings on the resolution for the removal of the Speaker? Who appointed Jagdambika Pal ji to preside?" Gogoi asked.
He said that all members have good personal relations with Birla, and that is why the opposition members are saddened that they had to bring the resolution. "But it is our responsibility to protect the dignity of the House and save the Constitution. It is to protect the faith of the people in democracy," he said.
Congress MPs K Suresh, Mallu Ravi and Mohammad Jawed moved the resolution against the Speaker, after which over 50 members stood up in support, and the resolution was admitted.
The Speaker can be removed from office if a resolution is passed by the House by a simple majority. Article 94C of the Constitution provides for such a move. Article 96 allows the speaker to defend himself or herself in the House.
The language of the proposed resolution is usually examined by the deputy speaker, but since the present Lok Sabha does not have a deputy speaker, it may be examined by the senior-most member of the panel of chairpersons.
The panel helps run the House in the Speaker’s absence.
The opposition resolution has alleged that Speaker Birla acted in a "blatantly partisan" manner in conducting the business of the House and "abused" the constitutional office he occupies.
Three Lok Sabha Speakers - G V Mavlankar (1954), Hukam Singh (1966) and Balram Jakhar (1987) - faced no-confidence motions in the past, which were all negatived.