The debate and voting on the no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will be taken up on March 9, when Parliament reconvenes after the recess, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Sunday.
Rijiju said the second phase of the Budget Session, scheduled from March 9 to April 2, is expected to be "interesting," with several important legislations and one "critical" Bill lined up for discussion and passage in the Lok Sabha. He warned that if opposition parties continue their protests as they did during the first part of the session, it would ultimately be detrimental to them.
Debate and vote to remove Om Birla
"On March 9 in the Lok Sabha, we will have the debate on the no-confidence motion moved against the speaker. It is the rule to take it up on the first day. There will be a vote following the debate," he told news agency PTI in an interview.
The Budget Session began with the president's address to the joint sitting of Parliament on January 28 and went on recess on February 12. The Union Budget for 2026 was presented on February 1, and the session will resume on March 9, concluding on April 2.
Parliament to select five ministries for discussions
Rijiju, who is on a visit to his Lok Sabha constituency, Arunachal West, said the government has a clear plan for structured discussions during the second part of the Budget Session. "In the Lok Sabha, we will discuss the demands for grants in five ministries, and in the Rajya Sabha, we will discuss the working of five other ministries. In Rajya Sabha, it will not be on demands for grants but discussions on the ministries," he said.
He added that the government will first select five ministries for debate in the Rajya Sabha, followed by discussions on five ministries in the Lok Sabha.
Noting that the second part of the budget session will be interesting, he said, "If the opposition doesn't allow the House to function, we will go for the guillotine. It will be a loss for them," he said.
When asked why this part of the session would be particularly interesting, he noted that it coincides with the upcoming assembly elections in four significant states - West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Kerala - as well as the Union Territory of Puducherry.
"We will bring some important bills, including one critical bill. We will not disclose now as to what the bill is, but we will bring up one very important business in the second part. We will pass all these bills," he said.
Parliament Budget Session
The Lok Sabha witnessed repeated disruptions during the first part of the Budget Session from February 2 onward after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disallowed by the Chair from quoting excerpts from the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief MM Naravane, which referred to the 2020 India-China conflict.
Amid continuous protests by opposition members, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was unable to reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on February 4. In an unprecedented development, the Motion of Thanks was passed on February 5 without the customary reply from the prime minister. Lok Sabha Speaker Birla himself read out the Motion of Thanks to the President's address, which was adopted by a voice vote amid sloganeering in the House.
Later, Birla said he had received specific intelligence inputs indicating that some Congress MPs might attempt an "unexpected act" near the prime minister's seat, following which he advised PM Modi not to attend the House. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra rejected the allegation, calling it baseless.
Subsequently, eight opposition MPs were suspended for the remainder of the Budget Session for unruly conduct. Last week, the Speaker stepped aside from presiding over the House hours after the opposition moved a notice seeking his removal, accusing him of acting in a "blatantly partisan" manner.
Also Read: Om Birla to step away as Lok Sabha Speaker amid Opposition notice for his removal: Sources
Also Read: Congress submits no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, TMC backs out
