SRINAGAR: The second phase of Parliament’s Budget Session will resume on Monday and is expected to begin on a tense note, with the Lok Sabha likely to consider an opposition-backed resolution seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla.
Opposition parties have accused Birla of displaying partisan conduct during House proceedings and have submitted a notice demanding his removal. The resolution has been included in the Lok Sabha’s listed business for the day.
Besides the motion against the Speaker, several other matters are expected to feature prominently during the session, including the situation in West Asia, India’s position on developments involving Iran and the United States, and the impact of rising crude oil prices following the regional tensions.
Opposition parties are also likely to raise the issue of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound West Bengal, where the removal of a large number of names from the voter list has triggered political controversy.
The government, meanwhile, is expected to push forward key legislative business during the remainder of the Budget Session, including the proposed Electricity Amendment Bill and other pending items from the earlier phase.
Both the BJP and the Congress have issued whips directing their MPs to be present in the House during the discussion on the resolution. However, the motion is unlikely to pass as the ruling alliance holds a numerical majority.
The Lok Sabha is also expected to briefly pay tribute to Shillong MP Ricky Syngkon, who died last month.
