The keenness of many Opposition allies, especially DMK, SP and Trinamool, to make the House work to raise their respective issues and about Indo-US trade deal during the debate was a major factor that influenced Congress’ tactical retreat after setting the optics by submitting the motion, sources said. Notably, MPs of these three INDIA bloc parties disengaged from Congress’ protest on Tuesday morning when the House adjourned before the work started post-lunch. The ruling side had made it clear that it wouldn’t allow Gandhi to make any statement in the House “before the commencement” of the budget debate. At the floor leaders’ meeting, it was decided that after Tharoor opened the budget debate, floor leaders of non-Congress Opposition parties would speak and Gandhi could participate in the debate later.
4 issues on Birla’s Motion
After the Congress leadership unproductively waited/tried for an ‘amicable settlement’ with the government side and the Chair till 1 pm, party’s chief whip Kodikunnil Suresh submitted the notice under Rule 94(C), signed by 118 Opposition MPs, to the secretary general of Lok Sabha (in the absence of a deputy Speaker). As per custom, Birla is unlikely to preside over the sittings until the matter is disposed of. One from the pool of presiding officers will be authorised to act on the notice, sources said. Birla also didn’t attend an afternoon meeting between Opposition MPs and the parliamentary affairs minister. The motion, if at all, will come up only in the second phase of the session. The ruling side holds the numbers to reject it in case of its acceptance for discussion and voting.
The three-page notice cited four reasons for it – 1) Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha is almost invariably not allowed to speak; 2) arbitrary suspension of eight Opposition MPs; 3) allowing a BJP MP to make objectionable remarks on two ex-PMs and not acting against it; 4) Birla’s February 5 remarks, describing Opposition conduct as ‘a blot’ claiming that he advised the PM not to attend the proceedings that day after coming to know about an Opposition plan to create scenes.
“The concern has been that the LoP hasn’t been allowed to speak on numerous occasions,” said Gaurav Gogoi, Congress’ LS deputy leader. Congress’ KC Venugopal is the first signatory for the motion and sources said Gandhi not signing it was part of LoPs not being part of such notices. Party whip Manickam Tagore said: “We (Congress) decided to join the debate because we do not want to be blamed anymore for disruption of the House even though it was the government that showed no interest in holding debates.”
As Trinamool didn’t sign the motion, party leader Abhishek Banerjee said it believed “Brahmastra” has to be the last resort.
