The second leg of the Budget session resumes today with a heavy air of confrontation, as the Lok Sabha prepares to debate a rare opposition-backed motion seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla. The motion, signed by 118 MPs from across the opposition benches — including a late show of support from the Trinamool Congress — accuses the Speaker of "blatantly partisan" conduct. The proceedings are expected to be particularly charged as Birla has already recused himself from the chair, leaving a senior member of the panel of chairpersons to preside over what could be a marathon 10-hour debate.
While the domestic political theatre takes centre stage, the shadow of the intensifying US-Israel-Iran war looms large over the House. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to brief Parliament on the crisis, which has now entered its tenth day following the joint strikes on February 28. The government remains in high-gear coordination with regional leaders like Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman and Qatar’s Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to ensure the safety of the Indian diaspora, as over 52,000 citizens have already been repatriated from the Gulf since the outbreak of hostilities.
The opposition, led by figures such as Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, is poised to pin the government down on several fronts beyond foreign policy. Concerns over skyrocketing global oil prices and the mass deletion of names from electoral rolls in West Bengal are expected to fuel the fire. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to be preparing for an attack in response to the uproar, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already made a strong statement backing Birla for his handling of "unruly" people and for adhering to constitutional principles.
Even with the ongoing uproar, the main purpose of the current session still is to evaluate the demands for grants, as well as pass the Finance Bill for 2026. However, with three-line whips issued by both the BJP and Congress, the focus today is firmly on the numbers in the House. Although the NDA’s comfortable majority suggests the motion against the Speaker is unlikely to pass, the debate itself marks a historic and deeply divisive moment for the 18th Lok Sabha.
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