LI Network
Published on: 3 August 2023 at 10:54 IST
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, in response to the repeated disruptions during the Monsoon Session, chose to stay away from the Lok Sabha proceedings on Wednesday.
The ongoing tussle between the Opposition and the BJP over the Manipur issue has been the cause of the parliamentary standstill.
As a result of the disruptions, the Lok Sabha failed to conduct any legislative business and adjourned a little after 2 pm, without taking up the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, for consideration and passage. Parliament officials disclosed that Birla was upset with the behavior of both the Opposition and the Treasury benches during the passage of Bills in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
BJP MPs claimed that the Speaker was particularly displeased because the Opposition obstructed the intervention of the ministers after many of their leaders had already presented their views on the NCT bill during its introduction.
In the Lok Sabha, the Presiding Officers, i.e., the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, are elected from among its members by a simple majority of members present and voting. In the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker assumes his functions.
Additionally, a member of the Panel of Chairpersons, which assists the Speaker in his duties, presides over the House in the absence of both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.
On Wednesday, YSRCP leader Midhun Reddy and BJP’s Kirit Solanki filled in for Birla since the Lok Sabha does not currently have a Deputy Speaker.
A similar situation occurred in March 2020 during the Budget Session when Birla skipped the House for two consecutive days due to the chaos prevailing in the House.
On one of those days, MPs Bhartruhari Mahtab, Rama Devi, Rajendra Agarwal, and Meenakshi Lekhi took charge as the Speaker in the midst of continuous disruptions, initially related to communal violence in Delhi and later over a remark made by Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal.
This eventually led to the suspension of seven Congress MPs.