New Delhi, March 5 – The Lok Sabha is likely to witness a rare situation next Monday when Speaker Om Birla will not chair the proceedings, but will be present as a member while a notice seeking his removal from office is being considered.
As the Budget session of Parliament begins on March 9, the Lok Sabha is likely to take up a resolution moved by the opposition against Birla, alleging that he acted in a "blatantly partisan" manner.
According to the rules, Birla will have the right to defend himself when the resolution is discussed in the lower house. He will also have the right to vote against the resolution.
An expert, P D T Achary, explained that while Birla will not chair the proceedings when the resolution comes up before the House, he will be seated in the prominent rows in the Treasury benches.
On the day the notice was submitted, Birla had stopped chairing the House, taking a stand.
"Although he could have chaired the House until the Lok Sabha considered the notice, he decided not to be present in the House until the resolution against him was settled. He upheld the highest standards of morality," a Lok Sabha Secretariat official said.
Past Speakers who faced similar resolutions had continued to attend the House, the official pointed out.
At least 118 opposition members had submitted a notice to move a resolution to remove Birla from office for not allowing Leader of the Opposition 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, the Samajwadi Party, and the DMK.
However, TMC MPs did not sign the notice.
Achary, a former Lok Sabha Secretary General, told
