Lok Sabha Rejects No-Confidence Motion Against Om Birla
- By Thetripurapost Desk, New Delhi
- Mar 11, 2026
- 575
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday rejected a no-confidence motion seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla, with the resolution defeated through a voice vote. Responding on behalf of the government, Union Home Minister Amit Shah delivered a 56-minute address, launching a sharp critique of Rahul Gandhi and the Indian National Congress.
Shah asserted that Congress members had received significantly more speaking time than the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 18th Lok Sabha. Despite this, opposition leaders continue to claim they are denied opportunities to speak, he said, adding that when such opportunities arise, some of them are “in Germany or England.”
“First, they do not wish to speak,” Shah remarked. “And when they do, they refuse to follow the established rules. This House operates according to procedure. The Speaker has every right to interrupt anyone who violates the rules. The Lok Sabha is not a fairground—those who disregard the rules will have their microphones switched off.”
The Home Minister also criticized Rahul Gandhi’s conduct in Parliament. “He enters the House, embraces the Prime Minister, winks, and even blows flying kisses. I feel embarrassed even describing this. Yet he questions the conduct of the Speaker. Before doing so, he should examine his own behaviour,” Shah said.
During Shah’s remarks, opposition members raised loud protests and repeatedly demanded that the Home Minister apologise.
Shah further cited parliamentary records to argue that Congress had been given ample opportunity to participate in debates. In the 17th Lok Sabha, he noted, Congress MPs—despite having only 52 members—were allotted 157 hours and 55 minutes of speaking time, considerably more than their numerical strength would normally warrant. Even in the current House, he claimed, Congress had been allotted nearly twice the speaking time of the BJP.
He questioned Rahul Gandhi’s absence from several major debates, including discussions on the Waqf Amendment and the abrogation of Article 370. Shah also said that Gandhi had often chosen not to participate in debates on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address or discussions on the Union Budget during previous Lok Sabha terms.
Turning to other political issues, Shah made several pointed remarks.
Regarding protests by Congress members during the AI Summit in Delhi, Shah said the event had attracted major technology firms from around 80 countries and more than 20 heads of state. Despite this, he alleged, Congress leaders staged disruptive demonstrations. “Jantar Mantar exists for protests,” he said, accusing the party of opposing not only the government but also the nation’s interests.
Addressing criticism of India’s trade arrangements with the United States, Shah rejected claims that Indian farmers had been adversely affected. He argued that no trade agreement had harmed farmers and instead blamed Congress policies enacted in 2013 for agricultural losses.
He also commented on a controversy involving a book by former Army chief M. M. Naravane. According to Shah, the opposition had attempted to initiate a parliamentary debate based on references to a book that had not yet been published, which is why the discussion was not permitted. He then questioned Congress about the loss of territory in Aksai Chin during the tenure of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, recalling Nehru’s controversial remark that “not even a blade of grass grows there.”
Meanwhile, Speaker Om Birla had refrained from presiding over Lok Sabha proceedings while the motion against him remained pending, citing parliamentary tradition and moral propriety. During that period, the House was chaired by members from the Panel of Chairpersons.
The no-confidence motion had been introduced by around 119 opposition MPs, who accused the Speaker of partisan conduct and alleged that the opposition was not being given sufficient opportunity to voice its views.
With the motion now defeated, Om Birla is set to resume presiding over the proceedings of the Lok Sabha.