New Delhi, March 10 – Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra stated on Tuesday that Speaker Om Birla has "perfected the art" of silencing Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha.
She voiced her support for the motion of no confidence against Speaker Om Birla, raising several objections regarding parliamentary procedures during the debate.
Moitra stated, "It seems that the Speaker has perfected the art of silencing Opposition members."
She argued that ruling party members are "allowed to speak indefinitely," while the time allotted to Opposition members is often "cut short" whenever they attempt to address the House.
"The Speaker has systematically stifled the voice of the Opposition, and by extension, the voice of 410 million Indians," she said.
Moitra also pointed out that the Lok Sabha had not reached a consensus on who would preside over the proceedings during the debate on the motion.
She further highlighted that the Constitution mandates that the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker should be filled as soon as they become vacant, but there is currently no Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha.
Opening the debate on behalf of the Trinamool Congress, Moitra said, "Today, I stand in this House with a heavy heart, but with a clear purpose, to support the motion of no confidence against the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha, who is presiding over the dissolution of parliamentary democracy."
She also referred to her own suspension from the Lok Sabha in the previous Parliament, noting that the current debate carries a sense of irony for her.
"It is ironic, almost a divine karma, that I, the MP, who was illegally targeted by this government, was wrongly expelled by the ethics committee, which had no authority to expel me after a motion in which I was not allowed to speak. Whether the Speaker, despite violating every principle of natural justice, refused to allow me to defend myself. Today, I am initiating this debate for my party, against that very Speaker. You can't escape karma," she said.
Moitra stated that the motion is part of a long-standing parliamentary tradition, citing earlier instances when similar resolutions were moved against Lok Sabha Speakers.
"This is a fitting tribute to the vibrancy of India's democracy and the strength of India's dissenting voices. In 1954, a motion of no confidence was opened against the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha, G.V. Mavalankar, who was accused of officially supporting the ruling party's spokesperson in all matters and causing serious danger to the functioning of the Lok Sabha," she said.
Moitra also referenced the debate that followed that motion, where then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru suggested that the Opposition should be given more time than the government during discussions.
"Jawaharlal Nehru, who was then PM, suggested that the Opposition should be given more time than the government during discussions. What is the tradition that we are following today?" she asked.
Moitra also mentioned two other occasions when similar resolutions were moved against Lok Sabha Speakers. She referred to the second such resolution in 1966 against Speaker Sardar Hukum Singh and another in 1987 against Speaker Balram Jakhar.
"The resolution criticized Jhakar's rulings, which denied the Opposition MPs from moving adjournment motions. And what is the situation today? We have a Speaker who has not allowed a single adjournment motion," she said.
Moitra reiterated that the Constitution requires both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker positions to be filled, but noted that the Deputy Speaker's post currently remains vacant.
She also alleged that the House was not consulted on the decision regarding who would preside over the proceedings on the motion.
During her speech, Moitra accused Speaker Om Birla of ordering the largest mass suspension of MPs in the history of the Indian Parliament.
"This single episode accounted for over 40 per cent of all Lok Sabha suspensions since 2004," she said, adding that the suspensions took place when MPs were demanding a government statement on a breach of Parliament security.
She also claimed that "not a single suspension" was from the ruling party.
Her remarks drew objections from BJP members in the House, following which Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was presiding over the proceedings, said that an objectionable word used by Moitra would be removed from the record.
During the exchange, Moitra responded to a marshal whose voice could be heard through the Speaker's microphone, asking him to stop speaking and saying, "he is sitting on the chair and not you."
She continued her remarks regarding the suspension of MPs, but Tenneti intervened to clarify that MPs are suspended by the House and not directly by the Speaker.
Responding to this, Moitra said, "I am glad that you are reminded of this by the marshal, and I will take your point," and she thanked the marshal again before modifying her statement to say that the Speaker presided over the House during the suspensions.
In a lighter remark, she said the marshal should perhaps be added as the "tenth member of the panel of chairpersons".
The comment triggered further protests from BJP members. BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab asked Tenneti to caution Moitra over such remarks, saying they were inappropriate.
Tenneti said he agreed with the objection and noted that Moitra's comments were directed against the Chair.
Moitra responded by saying, "We are moving a no-confidence motion against the Chair; obviously, the comments will be against the Chair."