Amid allegations of bias, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said Parliament’s rules apply to everyone, even the Prime Minister. “I stayed away from the House proceedings on the day the Opposition filed notice to file a motion to remove me from the post of Speaker,” Birla said in Lok Sabha.
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He said this while presiding over the proceedings, a day after a resolution calling for his impeachment was rejected in the House of Representatives.
“Even the Prime Minister must take permission from the Speaker before delivering a speech,” Birla said, while the opposition continues to accuse him of bias for not allowing the opposition to put forward its point of view in the Lok Sabha. During his speech, which lasted more than half an hour, he explained that all parties in the council must maintain the decorum of the institution and that the rules he uses to manage the council’s procedures are inherited.
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Birla said: “Council members have strengthened the traditions of the Council and have always increased the prestige of the House. I thank everyone for placing their trust in me. I give you my confidence that I will always work to carry out my duties in an impartial and fair manner.”
Regarding the allegations that the Opposition was not given a chance to speak, Birla said that all members of the Lok Sabha have the freedom to speak under the specified rules and regulations.
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“Opposition members talked about silencing the voice of the opposition and making it neutral. This House represents the will of 140 crore Indians,” Birla said.
He also said that as Speaker of the House, he had tried to get everyone a chance to put forward their views under the rules and procedures of the House and added that the Indian Parliament had a great history of agreements and disagreements.
Birla researched the opposition over Naravane’s book
Birla also made a veiled reference to the opposition’s insistence on talking about former Army chief General MM Naravane’s unpublished book on India’s standoff with China in the Galwan Valley in 2020. “No one has a special right to speak on any subject outside the rules of the House,” he said. Birla mentioned previous instances where lawmakers, including former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had first presented documents before the Speaker before putting them up for discussion.
“Sometimes I have to make tough decisions to keep the board in shape,” he said.
