Feb 10 News Live | No trust motion: LS Speaker decides to step aside from House

Abhishek Banerjee questions Speaker’s handling of Lok Sabha adjournments

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee and party general secretary on Tuesday questioned the manner in which Lok Sabha proceedings were handled, saying recent adjournments reflected a lack of intent to run the House.

Referring to Monday’s disruption, Banerjee said, “Yesterday, the House was adjourned at 2 PM for the entire day.” He argued that proceedings could have been paused briefly instead. “The House could have been adjourned for 1–2 hours, but it was adjourned till the next day,” he said.

Banerjee also flagged the absence of the presiding officer, saying, “The Speaker did not come to the Chair today.” He added that assurances alone were not enough to ensure smooth functioning. “If you really want to run the House, it should be reflected in your actions, not just your words,” he said.

Stating his party’s position, Banerjee said TMC MPs wanted Parliament to function. “But the Speaker has to run the House,” he said, adding that there should be parity in opportunities to speak. “If a BJP MP is allowed to speak, the MPs from the Opposition should also be allowed to speak,” he said.

Opposition to decide on Speaker removal notice after meeting Om Birla

Opposition parties on Tuesday said they would take a final call on submitting a notice to move a resolution for the removal of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after meeting him later in the day. The issue was discussed at a meeting of Opposition floor leaders held in the chamber of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge earlier in the morning.

The move follows a decision taken on Monday by Opposition parties after Rahul Gandhi and several other leaders were not allowed to speak during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, along with the suspension of eight MPs. The Opposition is prepared to submit the notice but is waiting to see if the government addresses its concerns, reported PTI, quoting sources.

Parties including the Congress, RJD, Samajwadi Party, DMK and Left groups have signed the notice, while the Trinamool Congress has not yet done so. Rahul Gandhi himself has also not signed the notice, sources added.

Birla has invited select Opposition floor leaders for a meeting at 12.30 p.m. to explore ways to restore normal functioning of the House. The government, sources said, has conveyed that a decision on allowing Opposition leaders, including Gandhi, to speak will be communicated soon. The Opposition is expected to decide by 1 p.m. whether to submit the notice to the Lok Sabha Secretary General. The Lok Sabha has seen repeated disruptions since Gandhi was stopped from speaking on February 2, even as the Rajya Sabha has begun the Budget discussion.

(With agency inputs)

Rijiju blames Congress for stalling Budget debate as Lok Sabha adjourned

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday accused the Congress of deliberately obstructing parliamentary business, saying that multiple Opposition parties were willing to participate in the Union Budget discussion but were being prevented from doing so. “It's budget time today, and we should discuss it. I told Congress yesterday as well to discuss it. Leaders from DMK, Samajwadi Party, and Trinamool are ready to speak, but Congress does not want Parliament to function,” he said.

Rijiju also appealed to protesting members to allow proceedings to continue. “I am saying that Congress has already lowered the House's dignity a lot, and now don't let it fall further. Let the discussion on the Budget take place,” he said as quoted by ANI.

His remarks came as the Lok Sabha witnessed repeated disruptions, leading to two adjournments on Tuesday. The House, which met at 11 a.m., was first adjourned till noon and then again till 2 p.m. after Opposition MPs entered the Well of the House and continued sloganeering, bringing proceedings to a ha

Giriraj Singh seeks privilege motion against Rahul Gandhi over book row

Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Tuesday accused Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi of deliberately disrupting parliamentary proceedings over claims linked to Four Stars of Destiny by former Army chief M.M. Naravane (Retd.).

Referring to the controversy around the memoir, Singh said, “The publisher has stated that this book has not yet been published.” On that basis, he argued that the matter warranted formal action in Parliament. “A privileged motion should be moved against Rahul Gandhi, who has deliberately held the House hostage,” the minister said.

Singh also questioned Gandhi’s understanding of parliamentary procedure. “It must be assumed that the Leader of the Opposition lacks parliamentary knowledge,” he added, sharpening the government’s criticism amid the ongoing standoff in the Lok Sabha.

TMC asks Congress to defer the impeachment motion against the Speaker

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has urged Congress not to press with the motion seeking the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's removal today. TMC wants the Congress to place its demands before the Speaker and wait till the post-recess session begins for a response. The party has informed the Congress that it would back the motion if the Speaker doesn't meet the demands put forth by the Congress.

Congress MPs, alongwith MPs from some Opposition parties, will be meeting the Speaker at 12.30 pm. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and some other ministers from the BJP's side are also likely to be present at the meeting.

Rahul Gandhi questions Penguin over Naravane memoir publication claim

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday alleged that the publisher of Four Stars of Destiny, the memoir of former Army chief M. M. Naravane, was being untruthful about the book’s status. His remarks came after Penguin Random House India said the memoir had not entered publication and that no print or digital copies had been released, sold or circulated.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Gandhi pointed to a 2023 post by Naravane on X and said the book could still be found online. “Hello friends, my book is available now. Just follow the link. Happy Reading, Jai Hind. This is the tweet Mr Naravane made,” Gandhi said. “Either he is lying, which I don't believe, or the Penguin (publisher) is lying. Both cannot be telling the truth.”

He added that the book was listed on Amazon and said, “I believe Naravane ji over Penguin. Do you believe Penguin over Naravane ji?” Gandhi suggested the memoir contained statements uncomfortable for the government and the Prime Minister, and said it was for the public to judge who was telling the truth.

Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 p.m. minutes after noon session resumes

The Lok Sabha’s brief return at noon ended within minutes as continuing protests forced another adjournment, this time until 2 p.m. Persistent sloganeering disrupted proceedings almost as soon as the House met.

With P.C. Mohan presiding, members were asked to place official papers on the table. As this process began, Opposition MPs moved into the Well of the House, intensifying the disruption.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju appealed to protesting members to allow the scheduled discussion on the Budget to go ahead, but his request failed to calm the House. The protests continued unabated, prompting Mohan to adjourn proceedings once more until 2 p.m.

Lok Sabha resumes amid Opposition sloganeering, adjournment motions rejected

The Lok Sabha resumed proceedings amid persistent sloganeering by Opposition members. P.C. Mohan, who was presiding over the House, informed members that several notices seeking adjournment had been received but were not admitted by the Speaker.

With no adjournment permitted, Mohan proceeded to the scheduled business, including the laying of official papers on the table. Opposition protests, however, continued as the House carried on with its work.

Nishikant Dubey urges Speaker to act against Rahul Gandhi over book claim

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Tuesday called on Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to act against Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, alleging that Parliament had been misled over claims about a book attributed to former Army chief M.M. Naravane.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Dubey pointed to remarks by Rahul Gandhi that the book had been published by Penguin. Dubey argued that parliamentary rules do not permit members to present unverified material as fact. “If the publisher says the book has not been published, which book is he showing?” he asked, reported The Hindu.

According to Dubey, Penguin has since issued a statement denying that the book has been printed or released, and has indicated it will pursue appropriate action. He said this clarification raised serious questions about the claims made on the floor of the House.

Urging intervention from the Speaker, Dubey said strict action should be taken against Rahul Gandhi, whom he accused of misleading Parliament. He also alleged that “Soros element” was involved in efforts he claimed were aimed at harming the country.

No-trust motion: Efforts on to secure support of INDIA bloc parties

Congress sources said that all INDIA bloc floor leaders, including Trinamool Congress MPs, were informed this morning during a meeting in the chambers of Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge that the notice for the motion seeking the removal of the Speaker will be submitted today. Efforts to secure the support of all INDIA bloc parties for the motion will continue. If admitted, the motion will be taken up for discussion in the second half of the budget session, beginning after the recess on March 9.