Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday praised Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his speech in the Lok Sabha a day earlier, saying it highlighted the importance of parliamentary traditions and the need for collective efforts for the country’s progress.
HM Shah had strongly defended Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and criticised the opposition for bringing a notice seeking his removal from the Chair.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, “A fine speech by Home Minister Shri Amitbhai Shah. His address is rich in facts and outlines the importance of parliamentary traditions as well as the need for working collectively for national progress.”
Responding to the debate on the no-confidence motion against the Speaker on Wednesday, HM Shah emphasised that the Speaker serves the entire House and does not represent any particular political party, underscoring the importance of maintaining parliamentary decorum and traditions.
HM Shah said the motion was an “unfortunate incident for parliamentary politics”, noting that a no-confidence motion against a Lok Sabha Speaker had come after nearly four decades.
“The Speaker of the Lok Sabha does not belong to any particular party but to the entire House and is the protector of the rights of all members. Bringing a no-confidence motion against the Speaker is not an act of courage,” HM Shah said.
The Home Minister said that members from both treasury and opposition benches participated in the discussion before the House rejected the motion.
“This is not an ordinary event. A no-confidence motion against the Speaker has come after nearly four decades,” HM Shah said, adding that questioning the integrity of the Speaker raises doubts about India’s democratic institutions.
“The Lok Sabha is the largest democratic forum of India and has earned credibility not only in India but across the world. When the integrity of the head of this forum is questioned, it raises doubts about our democratic processes.”
Defending Birla’s role, HM Shah said the Constitution places the office of the Speaker above party lines.
“The Speaker is not merely a presiding officer but a symbol of our legislative consciousness and the dignity of democracy,” he said.
He added that the functioning of the House is governed by established rules and procedures.
“There are rules for speaking in Parliament; it is not a fair or a gathering where one can speak in any manner they wish,” HM Shah said.
He stressed that when members violate the rules, the Speaker has a duty to intervene.
“If the rules of the House do not permit something, no one has the right to speak against those rules. It is the sacred duty of the Speaker to intervene and restrain such conduct.”
HM Shah criticised the opposition for allegedly using the motion as a platform to attack the government.
“Nearly 80 per cent of the speeches made by opposition leaders were not about the no-confidence motion. They just used the Speaker as a pretext to speak against the government,” he said.
Without naming him directly, HM Shah targeted the Leader of the Opposition, saying he had failed to speak during the debate.
“Under the leadership of the LoP, the opposition brought a no-confidence motion against the Lok Sabha Speaker, but now the Leader of the Opposition himself did not speak on it,” HM Shah said.
He also accused the opposition leader of frequently being abroad during parliamentary proceedings.
“Not speaking when given time in the House and then stepping outside to complain that one was not allowed to speak—this tendency of the LoP has now been exposed,” he said.
“When discussions take place in the House, the LoP is often on foreign tours. It is not possible to make special video conferencing arrangements from abroad for him to participate in the proceedings of the Lok Sabha.”
HM Shah cited several instances when the opposition leader was abroad during parliamentary sessions.
“Whether it is travelling to Germany during the Winter Session of 2017, Vietnam during the Budget Session of 2025, or being in the United Kingdom during the Budget Session of 2023, the LoP remains abroad during crucial proceedings and then complains about not being allowed to speak.”
The Home Minister said the opposition had been given adequate speaking time in Parliament.
“In the 17th Lok Sabha, the opposition party was given about 158 hours to speak despite having only 52 members, while our party with 303 members received 349 hours,” he said.
“In the 18th Lok Sabha so far, the opposition has spoken for 71 hours despite having 99 members, which on a pro-rata basis is much higher than the time allotted to our party.”
He also questioned the attendance of the opposition leader.
“The attendance of the LoP in Parliament of India is much lower than the national average,” HM Shah said.
HM Shah said Speaker Om Birla had provided the opposition with ample opportunities to participate in debates.
“According to the number of seats, Shri Om Birla gave the main opposition party more time to speak than our party in the Lok Sabha,” he said.
He added that Birla had extended Zero Hour discussions and ensured wider participation of MPs.
“During my 30 years as an MLA and MP, I have never seen a Speaker allowing members to raise Zero Hour issues until midnight,” HM Shah said.
HM Shah highlighted several Lok Sabha rules governing order and discipline in the House.
He noted that Rule 374 allows the Speaker to warn, suspend or expel members in cases of disorder, while Rule 380 permits the expunging of unparliamentary remarks.
“The House will not function according to the rules of any particular party but strictly in accordance with the rules of the Lok Sabha,” he said.
The Home Minister also accused the opposition of carrying a mindset rooted in the era of the The Emergency in India.
“The opposition lives with a mindset of privileges like during the Emergency, which is why the public is continuously reducing their strength,” he said.
Concluding his remarks, HM Shah urged the House to uphold the dignity of the Speaker’s office.
“A proposal to remove the Prime Minister can be brought in the House, but bringing a proposal to remove the custodian of the Lok Sabha should not be regarded as an act of courage,” he said.
He appealed to members to reject the motion and preserve the dignity of the Speaker’s position.
Following the debate, the Lok Sabha rejected the motion against Speaker Om Birla by a voice vote.
