Parliament looked set to resume work on Monday, March 9, after a recess in the ongoing Budget session, where the Lok Sabha witnessed a lot of action. This part of the session, which concludes on April 2, begins with the House adopting a formal resolution moved by the Congress-led opposition to remove Speaker Om Birla.
The treasury benches of the BJP-led NDA are bracing for a counterattack to put opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in a position where he may face expulsion from Parliament entirely.
The ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran is set to feature as well.
Parliament’s agenda as the session resumes
The main agenda for the day is a no-confidence motion supported by 118 MPs from the India Bloc against Speaker Om Birla. The opposition accused Birla of “blatantly partisan” behaviour, alleging that he muzzled their voices and favored governance. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
While the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the ruling party in poll-bound West Bengal, initially hesitated to sign the notice, the party assured that its MPs would support the decision.
This comes at a time when the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accused TMC chief and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of… Insulting President Draupadi Murmu by not attending an event. Mamata Banerjee hit back with allegations that the BJP is “abusing the position of the President” and making false accusations.
Among other things, higher prices may fan the fire. On March 7, domestic LPG cylinder prices were raised $60.
The movement against Umm Birla
As the Lok Sabha lacks a deputy speaker since the BJP-led NDA won a second term in 2019, the motion procedure is against Om Birla may face a challenge.
Under normal rules, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament presides over the House while the Speaker serves as an ordinary member; However, experts point out that Birla may now have to choose a member of the Presidents’ Committee – likely a senior BJP MP like Jagdambika Pal – to oversee the proceedings.
Prime Minister Modi proactively defended the Speaker last week, describing him as a “brilliant” president who is “completely dedicated to the Constitution”. In a virtual speech, Modi praised Birla for his patience, noting that he deals with “arrogant and unruly” members of “big families” with a smile – a sharp criticism of the Gandhi family.
The debate may be heated, but the BJP-led NDA’s majority means the proposal cannot be implemented mathematically. So, it looks like Om Birla is ready to survive; But only after a big fuss.
Threat of eviction against Rahul
In parallel with the motion against Om Birla, the government is moving towards the target Rahul Gandhi through a ‘substantive motion’ moved by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey. Unlike a standard violation of privilege notice, a substantive motion is a stand-alone motion that can directly result in a member’s expulsion by a majority vote. Dubey had sought to permanently remove Rahil Gandhi from Parliament and ban him from participating in elections for life, citing his “continuous misdeeds to destabilize the country.” He gave notice, but it wasn’t immediately clear if and when the matter would be taken up.
At the heart of this conflict, which has since widened, is Rahul Gandhi’s highlighting of an unpublished memoir titled “The Four Stars of Destiny” written by former Indian Army chief General MM Naravane. During the first half of the session, Rahul Gandhi cited excerpts from the manuscript, claiming that it “exposed” Prime Minister Modi’s failure to take responsibility during the 2020 border dispute with China.
The government said that referring to a manuscript that has not yet been approved by the Ministry of Defense is illegal and violates parliamentary rules. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said the alleged contents were “incorrect” and the writer (Naravane) could have gone to court if he did not agree with the Defense Ministry, which has withheld its approval since at least 2023.
Foreign Policy in Focus: The American Deal and Conflict in West Asia
Apart from domestic politics, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to make a statement on the issue The West Asian crisis resulting from the US-Israel conflict with Iran. Congress said Modi “abandoned” his responsibility towards his old ally Iran because he was “under some kind of pressure” from the United States and Israel.
The Indian bloc also demanded a full discussion on the Indo-US trade deal, which Rahul Gandhi described as “anti-farmer” and a “surrender to sovereign interests”.
In the latest developments, the opposition pointed to the recent 30-day exemption granted by the United States to Indian refineries to buy Russian oil as “proof” that India’s energy policy is now subject to American “blackmail.”
Surprise legislation?
Some reports, citing government sources, hinted during the past week that the session may witness the introduction of the legislation without prior consultation with the opposition.
Speculation ranged from a new law on political finance to replace the scrapped electoral bonds scheme, to populist measures aimed at upcoming state elections.
The government denied any plans to form a new trade union federation by striking some areas of Bihar and West Bengal.
As for the budget itself getting approval from the House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju warned that if the unrest continues, the government will not hesitate to use the “guillotine” – a parliamentary tool to bundle together pending budget grants and pass them without further discussion.
