Congress Hits Back at Rijiju, Cites Nehru’s 1954 Debate to Defend Opposition Rights
Congress Counters Rijiju’s 1954 Remark, Says Nehru Favoured More Time for Opposition
New Delhi, Mar 11: The Congress on Wednesday criticised Union Minister Kiren Rijiju for comparing the time allocated for the current debate on the motion to remove the Lok Sabha Speaker with a similar discussion held in 1954. The party argued that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had then insisted that the opposition should be given more speaking time.
Congress Points to Nehru’s Stand in 1954
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said Rijiju highlighted that the present debate on the resolution seeking the removal of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was allotted nearly 10 hours, whereas a similar motion in December 1954 had a discussion of only about two-and-a-half hours.
However, Ramesh said the minister did not mention that Nehru personally attended that debate and urged the presiding officer to allocate the majority of the speaking time to opposition members. He shared a transcript of the 1954 proceedings on social media to support the claim.
According to the transcript cited by Ramesh, Nehru had stated that while government members would also speak, the opposition should be allowed greater time to present its arguments during the discussion.
Debate Over Removal Motion Continues
The debate on the resolution seeking Birla’s removal from the Speaker’s post began in the Lok Sabha earlier this week and is expected to conclude with a response from Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
During the discussion, opposition MPs accused the Speaker of acting with bias and raised concerns about suspensions of several members as well as restrictions placed on speeches in the House.
Rijiju Defends Government’s Decision
Responding to criticism, Rijiju argued that the present debate was being conducted over two days, far longer than the discussion held in 1954. He said the government had provided adequate time and accused opposition leaders of drawing unfair comparisons.
The minister also rejected objections raised by Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy over who should preside during the debate.
NDA Backs Speaker, Opposition Demands Fair Conduct
Members of the ruling NDA defended Birla, saying the removal motion was politically motivated and aimed at generating headlines. They insisted that disciplinary action against MPs was taken due to their conduct during parliamentary proceedings.
Opposition leaders, while acknowledging cordial relations with the Speaker, maintained that they expect the House to be run impartially without government influence.
Under constitutional provisions, the Speaker is allowed to attend such debates and defend himself, but Om Birla chose not to participate in the proceedings during the discussion on Tuesday.
