New Delhi

The Congress on Tuesday submitted a notice for a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging partisan conduct in the functioning of the Lower House.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said the notice was formally submitted at 1:14 pm. “At 1:14 pm today, we submitted a notice for a no-confidence motion against the Speaker under Rule 94C of the Rules of Procedure,” he told reporters.

According to Congress sources, 118 Members of Parliament have signed the no-confidence motion notice.

Opposition leaders alleged that the Speaker had acted in a “blatantly partisan” manner and had repeatedly denied opposition members the opportunity to speak in the House, sources said.

The notice reportedly refers to four specific instances, including the Opposition’s claim that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was not permitted to speak during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. Gandhi had sought to quote from an unpublished memoir of former Army chief General M M Naravane while referring to the 2020 India-China standoff, sources said.

The notice also cited the suspension of eight opposition MPs, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s “objectionable and personalised remarks” against former Prime Ministers, and a statement by Speaker Om Birla in which he said he had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to attend the House to avoid any untoward incident after receiving information that some Congress MPs could approach the Prime Minister’s seat and “resort to an unprecedented act,” sources added.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) advised the Congress to first submit a formal appeal to the Speaker before initiating a no-confidence motion.

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee said his party would support the motion if the Speaker fails to act on the Opposition’s appeal within two to three days.

“Even yesterday, we had made it clear that all TMC MPs are ready to sign the no-confidence motion. But we suggested that the Opposition should first write a protest letter to the Speaker, signed by all opposition MPs, highlighting issues such as suspension of MPs, the LoP not being allowed to speak, women MPs being falsely accused, and the Chair functioning in a biased manner,” Banerjee told reporters.

He added, “We said the Speaker should be given two to three days to respond. If no action is taken, then we can move a no-confidence motion. We have no objection to that.”

Banerjee also criticised the frequent adjournments of the House, stating that Monday’s proceedings were adjourned for the entire day at 2 pm when shorter adjournments could have been considered.

READ MORE: Why did popular vlogger Arbaaz Khan cry over Sanjay Patel's death?

“The Speaker did not come to the Chair today. If there is a genuine intent to run the House, it should reflect in actions. TMC MPs want the House to function, but it is the Speaker’s responsibility to ensure that. If BJP MPs are allowed to speak, Opposition MPs should also be given the opportunity,” he said.