Parliament budget session in 2026. A no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was rejected on Wednesday. During the debate, Union Home Minister Amit Shah emphasised that the Speaker represents all political parties, not just the government, and stated that even the Supreme Court of India cannot question the Speaker’s rulings. He also criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying that whenever parliamentary sessions take place, Gandhi plans foreign trips, adding, “So how will he address the House from abroad?”
The motion was moved by Congress MP Mohammad Jawed and was supported by more than 50 MPs, which allowed it to be formally taken up for discussion in the Lok Sabha. BJP MP Jagadambika Pal, who was presiding, allowed the motion and allotted 10 hours for debate, urging members to remain focused on the resolution.
The debate started on Tuesday and saw intense exchanges between the Opposition and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi stated that the resolution was intended to safeguard the dignity of Parliament and was not aimed at Om Birla personally. Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju came to the Speaker’s defence and criticised Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, which led to a political exchange that also involved Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Amit Shah accused the Indian National Congress of staging protests at the AI Summit in a manner that he said embarrassed the country before foreign dignitaries. He alleged that in their opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress had begun opposing India itself.
Om Birla (born 23 November 1962; Hindi pronunciation: [Om bɪɾ. lbː],[Om bɪɽ. lbː]) is an Indian politician from Rajasthan. He has been serving as the 17th Speaker of the Lok Sabha since first being elected to that office in June 2019. He was re-elected for a second term on 26 June 2024.
According to US government policy, departments need to spend their allotted yearly budget by September 30 or lose the funds. Open the Books data revealed that Hegseth’s Pentagon spent $93.4 billion in September 2025 on grants and contracts, which was the largest amount any department or agency spent in a month’s timeline.
spent around $6.9 million on lobster tail and $2 million on Alaskan king crab. The department further spent $15.1 million on ribeye steaks, $1million in salmon and $26,000 for sushi preparation tables, Daily Mail reported.
Apart from the food items, the Defence department spent close to $6 billion on information technology and telecommunications. The Pentagon also allegedly paid over $225 million for furniture, which includes $12,540 for fruit basket stands and $60,000 for Herman Miller recliners which is a high-end furniture maker. The department has reportedly spent more on furniture in 2025 than it has since 2014.
Jagadambika Pal, the Bharatiya Janata Party MP presiding over the proceedings, admitted the motion and set aside 10 hours for a detailed debate, urging members to keep their remarks focused on the resolution.
The debate commenced on Tuesday with heated exchanges between the Opposition and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said the resolution was intended to uphold the dignity of Parliament and was not aimed at Om Birla personally.
This proposal should be dismissed with a majority, and the Lok Sabha should function under Birla ji’s Speakership, Shah said, ending his speech.
Referring to the allegation made by Gaurav Gogoi that the government was unwilling to discuss the China issue, Amit Shah said that China had taken control of Aksai Chin during the tenure of Jawaharlal Nehru, who had remarked that not even a blade of grass grows there.
Amit Shah said that during the winter session of 2025, Rahul Gandhi was in Germany. He added that there were several other occasions when Parliament was in session and Gandhi was travelling abroad. “Whenever the session begins, he plans foreign trips. So how will he speak in the House from overseas? There is no provision for video conferencing; we could have allowed it,” Shah remarked.
He did not take part in discussions on the most important Bills, he added. He asserted that during the 16th Lok Sabha, his attendance stood at 52 per cent compared with the national average of 80 per cent, and added that in the 15th Lok Sabha, his attendance was 43 per cent while the national average was 76 per cent.
He pointed out that the Lop chose not to speak even in the present debate, and when he does speak, he does know how to speak as per Rules. Even in the 18th Lok Sabha, they got double the time, he said. As for the Leader of the Opposition, he said, he had to decide how much to use his party’s time to speak, but he is in Germany or England when there is time to speak.
Amit Shah pointed out that nearly 80 percent of the Opposition’s speeches were directed against the government rather than the Speaker, even though there are several parliamentary rules that allow members to criticise the government separately. He also noted that while the Opposition has raised the issue of the absence of a Deputy Speaker, during the no-confidence motions of 1954 and 1966 the Deputy Speaker belonged to the ruling Indian National Congress.
Amit Shah said that the notice submitted by K. C. Venugopal mistakenly mentioned the year 2025 instead of 2026 when it was first filed with 119 signatures. According to Shah, the notice was later withdrawn and resubmitted, but in the revised version, all the signatures except that of Gaurav Gogoi were photocopies. He accused the Indian National Congress of being unserious and failing to properly follow the parliamentary rules. Shah also suggested that the party may have initially expected the notice to be rejected, but Om Birla gave them two opportunities to correct the submission.
I understand that someone’s advisors can be active, but they will have to follow the procedure of the House here, Shah said, in an oblique dig at Rahul Gandhi. He said that women MPs cannot come close to the Prime Minister’s chair. As regards the complaints that what opposition leaders say is expunged, Shah said that unparliamentary words have to be expunged. “But here they want any language they use to be retained. The House does not function like this,” he asserted.
Amit Shah asserted that when the Bharatiya Janata Party was in opposition, it never moved a no-confidence motion against the Speaker. He questioned, “Which alliances were responsible for the three no-confidence motions in the past? They are part of today’s Opposition,” Shah added.
He added that the Rules were not made by this government; that they have been continuing since the days of Nehru. Shah averred that while the government or the opposition may like or dislike the Speaker’s ruling, none can question his integrity. Amit Shah said that, according to Lok Sabha rules, the Speaker’s decisions are final, yet the Opposition has questioned his intentions. He added that when the head of the House is challenged, it casts a shadow on our democracy globally, and emphasised that such issues are better resolved within the Speaker’s chamber. Shah further remarked that when the Opposition visits the Speaker’s chamber, the environment can become so tense that concerns about the Speaker’s safety arise.
More Stories
US KC-135 Military Aircraft Crashes in Iraq During Operation Epic Fury, CENTCOM Confirms
Allegations of Suspicious Cash Withdrawals Surface at Punjab National Bank Dwarka Mor Branch
Iran-Israel War News Live Updates: Smoke seen rising from the US embassy vicinity in Kuwait, claims report