Doubting Speaker's Integrity Raises Questions On India's Democracy: Amit Shah In Lok Sabha

New Delhi: Speaking in Lok Sabha on the resolution seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that by doubting the Speaker's integrity, the Opposition has questioned India's democratic processes.

"Unfortunate for parliamentary politics that a resolution for the removal of the Speaker has come. We can speak of our rights, but no one can violate the rules of the House," he said.

He said bringing such a resolution was not a healthy precedent for parliamentary functioning and stressed that the Speaker’s office should be respected as an institution of the House. The minister said that we may not agree with the Speaker's ruling, but it is binding and cannot be doubted. "When the BJP was in opposition, it never brought a no-confidence motion against the Speaker," Shah added.

Dignity and Decorum

Emphasising that maintaining the dignity and decorum of Parliament is essential, Shah said the Speaker is empowered under the rules to ensure that unparliamentary expressions do not remain part of the House records. "The Speaker has the right to expunge unparliamentary words. Such language must be removed from parliamentary records," he added.

Shah said the functioning of the Lower House of the Parliament is rooted in mutual trust between the treasury bench and the Opposition, adding that the Speaker serves as the custodian of Parliament's functioning for both sides. "The spirit and long-standing tradition of this House are based on mutual trust. The House functions based on trust between the ruling side and the Opposition," Shah added.

The House has Established Rules

The minister further said that the Lok Sabha operates according to established rules framed by the House itself and that members from both the government and the Opposition have the right to raise issues within those rules. "Sadan koi mela nahi hai (This house is not a fairground). Parliament runs according to rules, where every members speak according to these rules, and none has the right to disobey them," he added.

Shah said these rules were not framed during the BJP's regime but have been followed since the era of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, adding that he was ready to debate on instances where, according to him, the Congress had broken parliamentary rules in the past.

Speaker's Position is Above Party Lines

He said the Speaker's position is above party lines and functions as a neutral mediator between the government and the Opposition. "A no-confidence motion against the Speaker is rarely brought in Parliament's history, and members usually discuss their concerns with the Speaker directly in his chamber. It was unfortunate that an atmosphere had been created suggesting the Speaker's security was under threat during such meetings," he said, adding that for 75 years, both Houses of Parliament have strengthened India's democratic foundations, but the Opposition's move has now raised serious questions about it.

Referring to Rule 375 of the Lok Sabha, empowering the Speaker to adjourn the House in cases of serious disorder, Shah said frequent protests and disruptions prevent members from speaking on important issues and make it difficult for the House to function effectively. "Under Rule 375, when there is a serious disorder in the House, the Speaker has the authority to adjourn the proceedings," he added.

Shah also criticised incidents where MPs stood in protest during debates and referred to the women MPs of the Opposition approaching the Prime Minister's seat, saying such actions are not appropriate in the House.

'Opposition can bring Motion against PM'

Shah further said the Opposition is free to bring a motion even against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but criticised the move to bring it against the Speaker. He said the government is ready to discuss issues raised by the Opposition and respond to them. He added that bringing a proposal to remove the Speaker, who is the custodian of the Lok Sabha, cannot be considered a courageous move.

Shah rejected the specific claim that the Leader of Oppositon was not allowed to speak in the House, saying that the Lok Sabha functions according to established rules and every member is expected to abide by them. However, if a person does it deliberately and delinquently, there is nothing wrong with the Chair rebuking the member.

'Senior Members should Counsel Congress Leaders'

Taking a jibe at the Opposition, Shah said that senior members like Shashi Tharoor and others should counsel Congress leaders on upholding the customs of the House. "A member continuously complains that he is not allowed to speak and that his mic is switched off, but they remain ignorant of the rules. Even ministers' microphones are switched off if they speak out of turn," he pointed out.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and other Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha during the debate on Speaker's removal on Wednesday. (IANS)

Berating the Congress-led Opposition for claiming the moral high ground, Shah said their conduct remains bereft of values and reflects duplicity. He reminded that during previous no-confidence motions against the Speaker under Congress-led governments, the Speaker had continued to preside over House proceedings, but Birla chose to recuse himself from the debate, marking a new precedent in parliamentary customs.

A 'Faulty' Motion

Contrasting the Opposition's alleged negligence and lack of seriousness in its own motion with Birla's magnanimity, Shah said their notice had to be rectified by the Speaker himself. "In the first notice, they (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 xerox copies," he said, adding that it was the Speaker who called them and got the error corrected.

He further said 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.

Earlier in the day, Congress legislator Mohammad Jawed read out the notice seeking to move the resolution to remove Birla from office. Besides Jawed, the resolution was also moved by MPs K Suresh and Mallu Ravi. As soon as the notice was read out, AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi raised a point of order questioning the decision to allow Jagdambika Pal to chair the proceedings as he was appointed to the panel of chairpersons by Birla.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey countered the claim, citing constitutional provisions, law and House rules. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Owaisi's claim was irrelevant as Pal was competent to preside over the Lok Sabha when the resolution was taken up.

Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy said Rijiju should move a motion to appoint a presiding officer specifically for the purpose. Rejecting the claims, Pal put the notice to move the resolution to vote and asked at least 50 MPs to stand up in support.

Once the required number of members stood up, the notice was accepted, and Jawed read out the resolution, which was also admitted for discussion.

Congress's Gaurav Gogoi began the discussion for which 10 hours have been allocated. Initiating the debate, Gogoi once again raised the question of who should preside over the proceedings when the resolution for the speaker's removal is being discussed.

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