New Delhi, March 11 – Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday criticised the Opposition for submitting a notice seeking the removal of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and also took aim at the Congress and the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) for allegedly creating chaos in the House with false claims.
Home Minister Shah rejected the specific claim that the LoP was not allowed to speak in the House, stating that the Lok Sabha functions according to established rules, and every member is expected to abide by them. However, he added that if a person deliberately and inappropriately does so, it is perfectly acceptable for the Chair to reprimand the member.
Taking aim at the Opposition, Home Minister Shah said that senior members such as Shashi Tharoor should advise Congress leaders on upholding the customs of the House.
"A member continuously complains that he is not allowed to speak and that his microphone is turned off, but they remain ignorant of the rules. Even the microphones of ministers are turned off if they speak out of turn," Home Minister Shah pointed out.
He added that the House functions according to established rules and regulations, and anyone who violates these norms must be corrected.
Critiquing the Congress-led Opposition for claiming the moral high ground, Home Minister Shah said that their conduct lacks values and reflects duplicity.
He also stated that during previous no-confidence motions against the Speaker under Congress-led governments, the Speaker had continued to preside over House proceedings, but Om Birla chose to recuse himself from the debate, setting a new precedent in parliamentary customs.
Contrasting the Opposition’s alleged negligence and lack of seriousness in its own motion with Om Birla's magnanimity, Home Minister Shah pointed out that their notice had to be rectified by the Speaker himself.
"In the first notice, they (the Opposition) made mistakes by mentioning the wrong date and figures. In the second notice, only one member signed while the signatures of the remaining 108 members were photocopies," he said, adding that it was the Speaker who called them and got the error corrected.
He further stated that the Opposition members were not even keen on debating the issue despite moving the no-confidence motion against the Speaker.
The Business Advisory Council had fixed March 9 for the debate on the no-confidence motion, but the Opposition itself refrained from participating in the discussion, he added.