- Lok Sabha set to witness sharp exchanges as Budget discussions begin amid political tension
- The Opposition plans to raise electoral issues and seek impeachment of the Chief Election Commissioner
- The Opposition will also question the government on gas and oil supply concerns
The no-confidence motion against him rejected, Om Birla is expected to return to the Speaker's chair in the Lok Sabha and address the House, a development that comes amid heightened tensions between the government and the opposition.
Parliament is likely to witness sharp exchanges on Thursday.
The Opposition parties are expected to raise issues linked to the electoral process, including voter list revision and election procedures, before moving on to a notice seeking impeachment of the Chief Election Commissioner. The move is likely to lead to protests and disruptions in the House.
Apart from electoral issues, the Opposition is also preparing to corner the government over the emerging gas and oil supply situation. Parties have indicated that they will demand answers from the government on the energy situation and its potential impact on domestic supply and prices.
The developments come after the unsuccessful attempt to move a motion against the Speaker.
Read: Opposition's No-Confidence Motion Against Speaker Defeated In Lok Sabha
Members of the ruling side have accused the Opposition of questioning the authority of the Chair. The Opposition has alleged that its members are not being given adequate opportunities to speak in the House.
The BJP has rejected these claims.
Opposition parties have been given substantial speaking time in Lok Sabha lately -- around 40 per cent in the 17th Lok Sabha, around 34 per cent in the 16th Lok Sabha and nearly 45 per cent in the current 18th Lok Sabha, sources said.
Government sources also pointed to the parliamentary record of Rahul Gandhi, saying his attendance and participation in debates has been below the national average over multiple Lok Sabhas. His attendance was about 50 per cent in the 17th Lok Sabha and 52 per cent in the 16th Lok Sabha, compared with national averages close to 80 per cent.
Read: "Questioning Speaker's Integrity Means Questioning Our Democracy": Amit Shah
Sources further said his record of asking questions in the House has also been relatively limited.
They said he asked 99 questions in the 17th Lok Sabha and none in the 16th and 15th Lok Sabhas, while the national averages during those periods were significantly higher.
Government sources also said several major parliamentary debates saw little or no participation from him, including discussions on the Union Budget, the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in several years, key legislation such as the GST constitutional amendment, the Aadhaar law, the abrogation of Article 370 and the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
With tempers already high, the coming sitting of the Lok Sabha is expected to see both political confrontation and key parliamentary business. From Thursday, the House is scheduled to begin discussions related to the Union Budget, marking the next phase of legislative work in the ongoing session.
