“Om Birla is as remarkable a Speaker of the Lok Sabha as he is a Member of Parliament. He is fully dedicated to the Constitution and completely committed to parliamentary traditions. Today, he is not a member of any party. He is fully above party and opposition. When I see him in the House, the thought often comes to my mind that perhaps coming from the city of education (Kota which is famous for its coaching institutes) has influenced his role as Speaker. He leads like a good head of the family, taking everyone along,” Modi said.
The prime minister was addressing the people of Kota through video conferencing after the foundation laying ceremony of the airport in the city. A total of 118 members from the Opposition parties, barring TMC, have given a notice under Article 94 (c) of the Constitution for moving a no-confidence motion against Birla, alleging bias, not allowing them to speak in the House and for suspension of protesting members. The notice was submitted on February 10 and is expected to be taken up in the House on March 9 when the budget session resumes after recess.
Modi underlined that Birla respects the feelings of MPs and pays heed to their requests. It is his nature to honour all lawmakers, he added.
“Even when some arrogant and disruptive ‘students’ from dynast families create disturbances- their habit of creating a ruckus is hard to shed- he manages everything as the head of a family would- with dignity, never insulting anyone, patiently enduring harsh words, and always smiling with warmth. You must have noticed, he always has a sweet smile on his face. Perhaps, that is one reason why he is universally admired in the House,” the prime minister said.
