Opposition Targets Speaker Birla In No-Confidence Bid Over Rahul Gandhi Book Excerpts

The opposition is preparing to move a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, sources told NDTV on Monday, underscoring the growing confrontation between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition parties during recent parliamentary sessions. The move follows repeated disruptions in the House, culminating in a dramatic standoff last week that led to Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelling a scheduled speech in the Lok Sabha.

The latest flashpoint occurred on Thursday, when the Lok Sabha was adjourned early amid loud protests and sloganeering. Speaker Birla said he decided to close proceedings based on information suggesting that opposition MPs could do “something unexpected” to target the Prime Minister. This came after a group of women MPs surrounded the Prime Minister’s seat—though he was not present at the time—while holding placards to express their protest.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi rejected the Speaker’s claim, calling it “absolute lies”, and accused the Prime Minister of hiding behind the Speaker. She insisted there was no plan to physically confront or harm the Prime Minister and said the allegations had unnecessarily escalated tensions inside the House, triggering a major political row.

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Sources said the proposed no-confidence motion will highlight three key issues, starting with the controversy over Speaker Birla’s refusal to allow Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to read excerpts from an unpublished book by former Army chief General M.M. Naravane. The excerpts related to the 2020 India-China border standoff in Ladakh and were sought to be placed on record by the opposition.

The opposition has also questioned why BJP MP Nishikant Dubey was permitted to read from books targeting the Congress and the Gandhi family, despite an earlier ruling against unauthenticated material. Although TDP MP Krishna Tenneti, who was presiding at the time, asked Dubey to stop, no action followed, fuelling accusations of selective enforcement of parliamentary rules.

The stand-off led to repeated adjournments and the suspension of eight Congress MPs for the remainder of the session. While suspended members protested outside Parliament, BJP leaders defended the Speaker’s actions, saying order had to be maintained amid increasingly aggressive protests. Further political confrontation is expected as the opposition pushes ahead with the no-confidence move.

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