"Is this non-confidence motion against LOP or speaker?" questions Congress leader KC Venugopal

Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the Opposition for bringing a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, saying Rahul Gandhi missed the vote of thanks to the President’s address several times over the years and also missed discussions on the Union Budget and more.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Amit Shah said LoP Rahul Gandhi often talks about his rights, but claimed that the facts tell a “different story.”

“In the 17th Lok Sabha, his attendance was 51%, while the national average was 67%,” Shah claimed.

“In the 16th Lok Sabha, his attendance was 52%, compared to the national average of 80%,” he said, adding that in the “15th Lok Sabha, his attendance was 43%, while the national average was 76%.”

“In the 16th Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi did not participate in the vote of thanks to the President’s address in 2014, 2015, 2017, or 2018. He also did not take part in any discussions on the Union Budget in the 16th Lok Sabha. In fact,... he did not participate in the discussion on any government bills. In the 16th, 17th, 19th, 20th, and 21st sessions, he did not attend the discussion on the President’s address. In the 19th, 20th, 22nd, and 23rd sessions, he did not participate in discussions on the Union Budget, and except for one bill, he did not take part in any other legislative discussions,” Shah detailed.

“In the 18th Lok Sabha, he did not participate in the discussion on the Union Budget…” he added.

Sharing more details on what Rahul Gandhi missed during his alleged absence from the House, Shah added, ““There are many important and landmark bills in which he (Rahul Gandhi) did not participate. These include the Land Acquisition Act, the 122nd Constitutional Amendment, the Aadhaar Act, the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, the abrogation of Article 370, the Citizenship Amendment Act, the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, and three landmark programmes for the Indian judiciary. He (Rahul Gandhi) also did not participate in the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, the Finance Bill,... or the 150th-anniversary discussion on ‘Vande Mataram.’ In short, he has been absent from many crucial debates and legislative discussions.”

Shah called the Opposition’s no-confidence motion that questions the Speaker’s integrity “regrettable.”

Amit Shah, in his speech, hailed Om Birla for demonstrating moral courage by not presiding over sessions during the discussion of the removal of the Speaker.

“The tradition has been that when a no-confidence motion is discussed against the Speaker, the Speaker does not occupy the Chair…Om Birla is the only Speaker who has demonstrated moral courage...”

Citing Article 94 (c) of the Constitution, Shah said the Speaker can be removed only under extraordinary and serious circumstances; there is no routine procedure.

“There are three types of majority: simple majority, effective majority, and special two-thirds majority. For different positions, the Constitution provides different requirements. If the Prime Minister is to be removed, a simple majority is enough; but to remove the Speaker, an effective majority is required,” he added.

Shah slammed the Opposition for submitting the motion “half-heartedly.”

“The whole country and the world know that the year is 2026, yet they mentioned 2025 on the notice,” Shah said, adding, “Once this was brought to their attention, they withdrew the notice, and a second notice was submitted.”

Shah further stated that the Speaker’s office gave the Opposition an opportunity to correct the “multiple mistakes in their submission.”

Shah said despite the motion not being in accordance with the rules on two occasions, Speaker Om Birla gave the Opposition a chance to submit the notice “properly.”

Speaking about some members not being allowed to speak in the House due to microphone issues, Shah said, “Anyone who does not follow the rules or maintain discipline will have their microphone turned off, and that is how it should be.”

Meanwhile, Congress leader KC Venugopal, interrupting Home Minister Amit Shah's speech in the Lok Sabha, questioned, “"Is this non-confidence motion against LOP or speaker?"”

The opposition's resolution seeking the removal of Om Birla as Speaker was rejected in the Lok Sabha by voice vote later this evening. 

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