NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on the Opposition’s resolution seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla, accusing the Congress leader of poor attendance and spreading misinformation about not being allowed to speak in the House.Amit Shah said Rahul Gandhi’s absence from parliamentary proceedings coincided with several foreign trips, claiming the Congress leader was often abroad during key sessions such as the Budget discussion.
‘Speaker Above Party Lines’: Amit Shah Attacks Congress Over Rare Lok Sabha No Confidence Motion
“The opposition leader Rahul Gandhi is a senior Congress leader and is often active in public life. During Lok Sabha sessions, major party events and elections take place, and senior leaders naturally interact with the public and express their views. This is normal and has happened with many leaders, not just Rahul ji. But the question is, if he was absent from the House, where was he? He was on trips abroad, to Germany in winter 2025, Vietnam, England, Singapore, Malaysia, and other countries, for a total of 60 days. It is purely coincidental that these trips coincided with budget sessions. Whenever there is a budget discussion, he seems to be abroad. Then he complains that he is not allowed to speak. How can he speak from a foreign country? There is no video-conference facility here; otherwise, he could have participated remotely…Should I also comment on the opposition’s conduct? For example, when the Prime Minister was seated at the Treasury Bench, some opposition members ran up and hugged him, this has never happened before. It has never happened that members of Opposition parties blow flying kisses or wink at ruling party members. Honestly, I even hesitate to speak about it.”Amit Shah said data from previous Lok Sabhas showed Rahul Gandhi’s attendance was consistently below the national average.“In 17th Lok Sabha, his attendance was 51%. National avergae was 66%. In 16th Lok Sabha, his attendance was 52%. National avergae was 80%. In 15th Lok Sabha, his attendance was 43%. National avergae was 76%,” Amit Shah said while addressing the House.He also accused Rahul Gandhi of failing to participate in several key parliamentary discussions during earlier terms.“…In the 16th Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi did not participate in the vote of thanks to the President’s address in 2014, 2015, 2017, or 2018. He also did not take part in any discussions on the Union Budget in the 16th Lok Sabha. In fact,… he did not participate in the discussion on any government bills. In the 16th, 17th, 19th, 20th, and 21st sessions, he did not attend the discussion on the President’s address. In the 19th, 20th, 22nd, and 23rd sessions, he did not participate in discussions on the Union Budget, and except for one bill, he did not take part in any other legislative discussions. In the 18th Lok Sabha, he did not participate in the discussion on the Union Budget… After four decades, it is regrettable that his party has brought a motion that questions the integrity of the Speaker, who has always upheld the dignity of the House.”The Opposition’s resolution seeking the removal of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was later rejected by a voice vote in the House, effectively defeating the no-confidence motion.Amit Shah described the move against the Speaker as unprecedented in recent decades and said such actions damage parliamentary traditions.“This is not ordinary. After about 4 decades, a No-Confidence Motion against Lok Sabha Speaker has been brought. It is unfortunate for Parliamentary politics and this House,” Amit Shah said.Defending the role of the Speaker, the home minister said questioning the office of the Speaker undermines the credibility of India’s democratic institutions.“I want to inform the entire House that when the present Speaker was appointed, the leaders of both sides of the House together escorted him to the Chair. This shows that both the ruling party and the Opposition must provide the Speaker with a free and impartial environment to discharge his duties and support him in fulfilling those responsibilities. Today, while disagreement with the Speaker’s decisions can be expressed, the rules of the Lok Sabha consider the Speaker’s decision to be final. However, contrary to this tradition, the Opposition has raised questions about the Speaker’s integrity.”Amit Shah also criticised Rahul Gandhi for demanding a debate based on remarks made at a press conference.“…He suddenly had an idea – have a debate on his own press conference. This is not a market. This is the Lok Sabha…From your great grandfather to your grandmother to your father, there were tall leaders in India. Lok Sabha didn’t have a debate on anyone’s press conference. If he expects that his “great press conference”, which was based on lies, will be debated in the House, then Om Birla did a favour to the House by not letting its standards fall.”Responding to allegations that opposition leaders were not allowed to speak, Shah said the claims were misleading and pointed to the speaking time allotted to Congress MPs.“LoP has grievances that he is not allowed to speak, that the voice of LoP is stifled. I would like to ask him who will decide who has to speak? Speaker? No, you have to decide this. But when it is a chance to speak, you are seen in Germany, in England. Then he complains…Congress MPs spoke for 157 hours and 55 minutes in the 18th Lok Sabha. How much did the LoP speak? Why did you not speak? Which Speaker stopped you? Nobody can. Misinformation is spread to defame the Lok Sabha.”The home minister said that parliamentary rules empower the Speaker to maintain order in the House, including the authority to remove unparliamentary language from official records.“The list of unparliamentary words used in this House was not created during a single tenure. It has evolved over time, from the very beginning of the House’s existence, through the efforts of many distinguished individuals who have presided over this high office. The rules for conducting the House and the list of unparliamentary words are binding on all members. It cannot be said that these rules do not apply to us. The Constitution has given members certain rights, but it has not granted anyone any special privileges. There is no Emergency, and no one has extraordinary powers beyond what the Constitution provides.”He said the functioning of Parliament is governed by established rules and traditions developed over decades.“Sadan koi mela nahi hai. Parliament runs according to rules. Everyone speaks according to the rules. No one has the right to disobey Parliament’s rules and speak. To those who say this is happening because of the BJP, let me tell them that these rules were not formed during our time; they have continued since Nehru ji’s era. I am ready to debate that Congress has broken Parliament’s rules many times,” Shah said.Emphasising the importance of trust between the ruling side and the Opposition, Amit Shah said the Speaker acts as a neutral custodian of the House.“I will speak later about the questions raised by the Opposition today, but first I would like to say that the spirit and the long-standing tradition of this House are based on mutual trust. The House functions on the basis of trust between the ruling side and the Opposition. For both sides, the Speaker of the House acts as the custodian of its functioning. However, there are established rules on how the Lok Sabha is to be conducted, and these rules have been framed by the House itself. Within these rules, we can raise issues related to our rights, and members of the Opposition can do the same.”He also referred to the procedural history of motions against the Speaker, saying such measures were extremely rare.“Under Article 96, when a motion to remove the Speaker is discussed, the presiding officers concerned will not chair the House. What happened earlier? It has happened three times before, each time, the Congress party was in power when the motion came up. The tradition has been that when a no-confidence motion is discussed against the Speaker, the Speaker does not occupy the Chair. In all three instances, the House was presided over for 14 days by other officers. Om Birla is the only Speaker who has demonstrated moral courage…”Amit Shah also accused the Opposition of attempting to weaken parliamentary institutions and said allegations against the Speaker damage India’s democratic image internationally.“…The world recognises the strength and prestige of India’s democratic system. When allegations are made against the head of this House, questions are raised not only within the country but also globally about our democratic processes. That is why, generally, a no-confidence motion against the Speaker is rarely brought. Members can go to the Speaker’s chamber and discuss their concerns. The Speaker listens to members from both sides. However, a very strange situation has been created here, when members go to the chamber, an atmosphere is created as if the Speaker’s security itself is under threat. Nothing could be more unfortunate than this. What kind of system do they want? The position of the Speaker has been placed above party lines and is meant to function as a neutral mediator. Yet, questions are now being raised about the very person entrusted with this mediating role. I will explain later why such questions are being raised. For 75 years, both Houses of Parliament have strengthened the foundations of our democracy to great depths. Today, however, the Opposition has raised a serious question mark over it.”He further alleged that the Opposition’s motion itself contained procedural errors and had to be corrected before it was accepted.“…The Speaker’s office gave them an opportunity to correct the multiple mistakes in their submission. When they realised they had to make the corrections, the notice was accepted. This reflects both high moral ground and seriousness in the House. The high moral ground is shown by the fact that, even though the no-confidence motion was not in accordance with the rules on two occasions, Speaker Om Birla gave them a chance to submit the notice properly. The motion was not originally in line with the rules, and yet the Speaker adhered to fairness. Some members have complained that they are not allowed to speak, claiming microphone issues… Anyone who does not follow the rules or maintain discipline will have their microphone turned off, and that is how it should be.”Amit Shah also criticised the Opposition over alleged mistakes in the notice submitted for the motion.“…Perhaps they submitted the motion half-heartedly. The whole country and the world know that the year is 2026, yet they mentioned 2025 on the notice. They may have thought that the Speaker could reject it. A proper motion must be attached to the notice, but they did not do so. Once this was brought to their attention, they withdrew the notice, and a second notice was submitted. Regarding the second notice, except for the actual xerox. According to the rules, a member must submit a notice with an actual signature. Let us assume there is an extraordinary circumstance and that Opposition members want to bring a no-confidence motion before the Speaker… The House will run according to the rules of the Lok Sabha, not according to any party’s rules.”The home minister also rejected allegations that the government had suppressed opposition voices, pointing instead to the period of the Emergency.“We never suppressed voice of opposition; voice of opposition was suppressed during Emergency when leaders were put in jail,” he said.
