No-confidence motion against LS Speaker was bound to fail, says Ram Kripal Yadav
Patna: Bihar Minister Ram Kripal Yadav on Thursday said the no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was destined to fail, while sharply criticising the opposition parties, particularly Congress, for what he described as a “decline in political standards”.
Reacting to the rejection of the motion, Yadav said the outcome was expected from the beginning.
“It was already clear that this would happen. The motion brought against the Speaker by the Congress party and other opposition members was bound to fail. This reflects a significant decline in political conduct, and especially the Congress party has fallen to a very low level,” he told IANS.
He further questioned the intention behind bringing such a motion despite knowing the likely result.
“You already know what the outcome will be, yet you proceed with such a move. What do you want to achieve by this? A person holding a constitutional position should be respected, regardless of which party he may have been associated with earlier,” Yadav said.
He also recalled that such actions against the Speaker have rarely occurred in India’s parliamentary history.
“As far as I remember, there was a no-confidence motion against the first Lok Sabha Speaker, G.V. Mavalankar. Apart from that, I do not recall any such motion being brought against a Speaker. The opposition has never tried such steps earlier,” he said.
Yadav argued that disagreements with the Speaker should not lead to extreme measures like a no-confidence motion.
“Differences of opinion can exist in Parliament, but why target the Speaker in this way? What wrongdoing has he committed? Has he engaged in any conspiracy? The Speaker gives rulings based on what he considers correct. The House has now rejected the motion, and the same will happen in the future if such attempts are made again,” he told IANS.
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday rejected the no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla through a voice vote after nearly 13 hours of debate. The motion had been moved by opposition parties, who alleged that the Speaker had failed to ensure the impartial functioning of the House.
The government strongly rejected these allegations during the debate.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah defended the Speaker and criticised the opposition’s move, calling the resolution a regrettable step in parliamentary politics.
“The Speaker of the Lok Sabha does not belong to any particular party but to the entire House and serves as the protector of the rights of all members. Bringing a no-confidence motion against the Speaker cannot be considered an act of courage,” HM Shah said.
He noted that members from both the treasury and opposition benches participated in the discussion before the motion was ultimately rejected.
“This is not an ordinary event. A no-confidence motion against the Speaker has come after nearly four decades,” the Home Minister said.
HM Shah also stressed that questioning the integrity of the Speaker raises broader concerns about democratic institutions.
“The Lok Sabha is the largest democratic forum in India and enjoys credibility not only within the country but across the world. When the integrity of the head of this institution is questioned, it raises doubts about our democratic processes,” he said.