Today, on Monday, the first day of the second phase of the budget session of Parliament, the Lok Sabha will consider the notice given by the opposition members to present a proposal related to the removal of Om Birla from the post of Speaker. The second phase of the current budget session of Parliament is starting from today. This topic has been listed in the proceedings of its first day itself. When called by the Presiding Chairman, 50 members of the House will have to stand in support of the notice and then the motion will be considered accepted for consideration of the House. After this the proposal will be discussed and voted on.
If 50 members do not stand in support of the notice, the motion cannot be moved. Both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the main opposition Congress have issued whips to their respective Lok Sabha members to remain present in the House when the issue is considered. The numerical strength in the House is very high in favor of the government, due to which it is almost certain that the motion will be defeated.
Three Congress members Mohammad Javed, K. brought the proposal to remove Birla from the post of president. Suresh and Mallu Ravi will seek permission from the House. After getting the support of at least 50 members, they will put this proposal for discussion and voting in the House. According to the Constitution, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha can remain present in the House during the consideration of the notice. He can present his stand on the motion and can also vote, but he cannot preside over the proceedings when the subject is discussed. Birla can possibly sit in the main ranks of the ruling party, although the rules are not clear about this.
According to the revised agenda of Lok Sabha for March 9 released on Sunday evening, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will give a statement in the Lok Sabha regarding ‘situation in West Asia’. Additionally, the results of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in the electoral state of West Bengal, which led to the deletion of nearly 60 lakh names, are also likely to impact parliamentary proceedings.
In view of the US Supreme Court’s decision against the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, the opposition is also likely to raise questions on the India-US interim trade agreement. The second part of the budget session will focus on the demands for grants of various ministries for 2026-27 and the passage of the Finance Bill, 2026, which includes all the tax proposals presented in the Union Budget on February 1. Both the houses of the Parliament will also discuss the working of five ministries each and the demands for grants.
The no-confidence motion against Birla has been brought by several opposition leaders, who have alleged that he acted in a ‘clearly partisan’ manner in the House. He had also accused the Speaker of making some false claims against Congress members while talking about some ‘unexpected action’ in the Lok Sabha and requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to come to the House to reply to the discussion on the motion of thanks on the President’s address. Birla had recused himself from the proceedings of the House from the date of submission of the notice. The Lok Sabha Secretariat had said that he would return only after the agenda was settled.
