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Rules apply to all, even PM: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla responds to allegations of bias
Birla also said that while the lawmakers have the freedom to speak in the House, the freedom has to be exercised under set rules and regulations.
Amid allegations of bias, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Thursday said that the rules of the Parliament apply to all, even the Prime Minister. “I stayed away from House proceedings the day opposition gave notice for motion seeking my removal as Speaker,” Birla said in the Lok Sabha.
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He said this while chairing the proceedings, a day after a resolution seeking his removal was rejected in the House.
“Even the Prime Minister must obtain permission from the Speaker before delivering a speech,” Birla said as the Opposition continues to accuse him of bias for not allowing the Opposition to pit forward its point in the Lok Sabha. During his speech that last over half an hour, he outlined that all sides in the House must maintain the decorum of the institution and that the rules that he uses to run the House proceedings have been inherited.
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"The members of the House have strengthened the traditions of the House, and always increased the prestige of the house. I thank everyone for putting their trust in me. I give you my confidence that I will always work to carry out my duties in an impartial, fair manner," Birla said.
On the allegations that the Opposition is not given a chance to speak, Birla said that all the members of the Lok Sabha have the freedom to speak under the set rules and regulations.
“The Opposition members talked about muzzling the opposition's voice and neutrality. This House represents will of 140 crore Indians,” Birla said.
He also said that as a speaker of the House, he has tried that everyone gets a chance to put forward their opinions under the rules and procedures of the House and added that India's Parliament has a great history of agreements and disagreements.
Birla's dig at Opposition over Naravane book
Birla also made veiled references to Opposition's insistence to speak on former army chief General MM Naravane's unpublished book on India's faceoff with China in Galwan Valley in 2020, “Nobody has the special right to speak on any topic beyond the rules of the House,” he said. Birla mentioned past instances where the lawmakers, including former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, first submitted the documents before the chair of the House before taking them up for discussion.
“Sometimes I have to take tough decisions to maintain the decorum of the House,” he said, adding that he takes pride in the fact that all women MPs of Lok Sabha have freely spoken in the House during his tenure as the Speaker. “But the way some women MPs of the Opposition entered the well and raised slogans while moving towards the treasury bench, it could have created a hostile situation,” Birla said as he made reference to last month's incident wherein women MPs raised slogans in the well of the House and gheraoed PM's seat when he was supposed to reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address. However, PM was not present at that time and Birla later said that he had asked PM Modi not to attend the proceedings as he suspected hostility from the Opposition.
“It was my responsibility to maintain the decorum of the House and avoid any unpleasant situation. So I urged the PM to not come to the Parliament,” Birla said on Thursday.
