Budget Session: Opposition is planning to move a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Congress leaders said amid Parliament showdown during the ongoing Budget 2026 session.
The Lok Sabha proceedings witnessed protests again on Monday as Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House till 12 noon amid Opposition sloganeering demanding a discussion on the India-US interim trade framework, disrupting question hour.
The house was adjourned just seven minutes after it commenced for the week today. Protest returned when the house reconvened at 12, only to be adjourned till 2 pm.
“As per the Parliamentary rules, the Leader of Opposition is a shadow Prime Minister. But here, the LoP is not being allowed to speak in the House,” Congress MP KC Venugopal told a news agency outside the Parliament.
Venugopal’s remarks come after a meeting of opposition floor leaders in Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s chamber in Parliament House complex this morning to decide on a joint strategy for the next few days.
In an unprecedented development, the Lok Sabha passed the Motion of Thanks on Thursday last without the prime minister’s customary reply, scheduled a day earlier, amid relentless sloganeering by opposition members.
The government, Venugopal said, can say anything and attack anyone. “The Speaker is himself making allegations against the Congress women MPs, but there is no space for the opposition in this House at all and they are not even allowed… This kind of attitude against the opposition never happened before… We will wait for the action,” he said.
Do you want to adjourn the house?
On Monday, just as Question hour commenced, sloganeering from the Opposition benches continued, as MPs demanded that their issues be addressed. Speaker Birla, however, urged the MPs to maintain decorum, as there will be no bar on any MP speaking on the floor.
Criticising the Opposition MPs for disrupting the house, he said, “Do you want to adjourn the house? Do you not want to work? The House is for debate and discussion, please talk about issue, raise them. Everyone will get a chance to speak, no will be barred from speaking.”
While the sloganeering continued, Speaker Birla adjourned the House. “The proceedings are adjourned till 12 PM.” Later, the house was adjourned till 2 pm. Rajya Sabha, however, continued the business.
‘No option but to move the no-confidence motion’
Congress MP Mallu Ravi said that the Opposition parties have no option but to move the no-confidence motion against the Speaker due to the situation allegedly created by him. “LoP Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to speak in the House. Whenever we want to speak, the House is adjourned,” the Congress leader said.
Both Houses of Parliament were scheduled to continue discussion on the Union Budget 2026-27 on Monday, which was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1.
“Today, we also asked for permission for the LoP to speak, but it was not granted…Does it happen in any democratic country where a LoP is not allowed to speak? This is not a parliamentary democracy. The BJP does not have the capacity to run the House and only blames the Opposition,” Ravi said
Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026-27 in Lok Sabha, for the ninth consecutive time. Asserting that the Budget is driven by “Yuvashakti” and based on “three kartavyas,” she proposed seven high-speed rail corridors, new dedicated freight corridors, and the operationalisation of 20 national waterways over the next five years.
Earlier today, the INDIA bloc parties had decided that they will participate in the discussion on the Union Budget to be held in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the INDIA bloc floor leaders held at the office of the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in the Parliament House complex. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, was also present at the meeting.
The Opposition alliance is expected to raise key Budget-related issues during discussions in both Houses of Parliament.
The Budget Session has seen disruptions in recent days, with Opposition parties pressing for debates on various matters. On Friday, the Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted by strong protests from Opposition MPs upon the commencement of the general discussion on the Union Budget 2026-27, leading to an adjournment until 11 AM on Monday (February 9).
Opposition MPs also protested the India-US trade agreement at the Makar Dwar of the Parliament, holding a banner calling it a “trap deal.” Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also joined as the MPs raised slogans, “Jo uchit samjho vahi karo”(Do whatever you think is right) and “tanashahi nahi chalegi” (dictatorship will not be accepted), criticising the Central government.
Key Takeaways
- The opposition is actively seeking to hold the Speaker accountable amid disruptions.
- The ongoing budget discussions are a focal point for opposition protests.
- Speaker Birla emphasizes the need for decorum and dialogue within the parliamentary process.
