New Delhi

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Monday defended the Opposition's move to bring a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, saying it is a legitimate parliamentary tool to raise issues of concern.

Speaking to ANI, Chidambaram said, "Parliament is for debating and following procedure that includes giving space to the Opposition to raise issues of concern to the nation. Opposition parties use various tools to register their protest, and this is a tool to do so."

The Opposition MPs are planning to move a no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla in the second half of the budget session, as a 20-day notice period is needed for such a motion.

The MPs have cited that the Speaker has unjustly suspended 8 of their MPs, is not allowing the Leader of Opposition to speak, and preferential treatment is being given to treasury bench MPs, according to sources.

"The grounds identified for the move include: Lok Sabha LoP not allowed to speak; women MPs named by the Chair; certain Treasury Bench MPs always given Privilege in the House; and the Way 8 opposition MPs were suspended for the whole session," sources said.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha on Monday continued to see repeated disruptions by the Opposition benches as they demanded a discussion the India-US trade framework in Parliament. For the second time in a row today, Parliament saw less than 10 minutes of the session and no discussion taking place before being adjourned. It will resume its proceedings at 2 PM.

Furthermore, on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's demand for Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar, Chidambaram commented, "The person Mr Bhagwat is mentioning is a very polarising figure. The history is very divided about him."

Speaking at the Two-Day Lecture Series On '100 Years Of Sangh Journey - New Horizons' on Sunday, Bhagwat said that he was not on the decision-making committee but would raise the issue if given the chance.

"I'm not on that committee, but if I meet someone who is, I'll ask them. If Swatantra Veer Savarkar is given Bharat Ratna, the prestige of Bharat Ratna will increase. Even without that prestige, he has become the emperor of millions of hearts," he said.

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Speaking on the Congress-DMK alliance in Tamil Nadu, Chidambaram said," The alliance is intact. We lead the INDIA alliance nationally. We have formed a committee to negotiate with the DMK the number of seats we will contest. We are waiting for the DMK to form its committee. So the question should be posed to the DMK, which is leading the alliance in Tamil Nadu. Our united alliance will win elections in Tamil Nadu."

The remarks come as Tamil Nadu is scheduled to hold elections in the first half of this year, although the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not yet announced the official election schedule.