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Will join Lok Sabha proceedings only when MPs start to behave: Speaker
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday refused to attend the remainder of the Monsoon session of Parliament.
Amid continuous disruptions in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday refused to attend the remainder of the Monsoon session of Parliament and told members of the ruling and opposition parties that he will not join the proceedings until both sides behave appropriately, according to people aware of the details.
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The Lower House has witnessed continuous disruptions, ever since the session began on July 20, primarily over the Opposition’s protest over the ethnic violence in Manipur that has claimed at least 150 lives so far. While the Opposition is demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi followed by a debate in both Houses, the government has only agreed for a debate on the matter, prompting the former to continue with their protests and disrupt parliamentary proceedings.
On Wednesday, Birla stayed in his chamber and sent a message to MPs from the ruling and opposition parties, saying he would return to the House only if both sides promised to behave well, according to an official in his office who did not wish to be named.
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Birla, who’s known for his smiling demeanour, was particularly offended when MPs stepped up their protests during the introduction of the contentious Delhi services bill on Tuesday.
The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which was tabled in the Lower House, seeks to replace an ordinance promulgated on May 19 to allow the Centre to retain control over the bureaucracy in Delhi and effectively overrides a May 11 Supreme Court judgment, which handed the charge of the Capital’s bureaucracy to the elected government, excluding departments connected to police, public order and land.
“One MP tore up papers inside the House and others came into the well of the House. The Speaker just had enough,’’ the official cited above said. The bill was due to be discussed on Wednesday but the House was abruptly adjourned soon after lunch.
A second official at Birla’s office, who also did not wish to be named, said MPs from both sides visited and apologised to the Speaker, and urged him to return to the House on Thursday.
