2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Feb 9, 2026 03:32 PM IST
As opposition protest speaker remarks, Sources in the Lok Sabha said that Birla made the remark on the “backdrop of the grave and unprecedented disorder that unfolded in the House that day”.
(PTI photo)
Terming Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s statement about the conduct of Opposition MPs
“completely unsubstantiated, false, and vile”, Congress Karur MP S Jothimani on Monday reacted sharply to the adjournment of the House for the day.
This was after Jothimani, along with five other senior opposition MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, wrote to Speaker Birla regarding the goings-on in the Lower House. According to sources, the member from Tamil Nadu also intended to bring a motion of no-confidence against Birla in the House.
“It should not have been done by a Speaker of the House. We, the women MPs, are coming to the Parliament against all odds. It’s not easy. It’s not that overnight we became MPs… Most of them are coming from a non-political family…from a very rural, humble background,” she said.
“Speaker is the custodian of the House…where else do we go if we have issues… But here the Speaker himself has become the accuser…just because the prime minister couldn’t come into the Parliament, he couldn’t face the Opposition,” she also said.
Jothimani added that the allegation had been made against women MPs “without any proof”, adding that it was “very obvious” that the Speaker had come under “pressure from the ruling BJP”.
As the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address was passed without the prime minister’s reply to the discussion on the address, Speaker Om Birla said on Thursday that he had “credible information that several members from the Congress” would create “an unprecedented incident after reaching the Honourable Prime Minister’s seat”, and that it was he who had “requested the Prime Minister not to come to the House”, where he was scheduled to speak on Wednesday.
When asked whether other Opposition parties too were on board with the Congress on the issue of the no- confidence motion against the Speaker, Jothimani confirmed that this was the case.
Story continues below this ad
“Yes, all INDIA bloc parties are on board (with the motion), all opposition parties will bring the motion,” she told The Indian Express.
Jatin Anand is an Assistant Editor with the national political bureau of The Indian Express. With over 16 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is a seasoned expert in national governance, electoral politics, and bureaucratic affairs. Having covered high-stakes beats including the Election Commission of India (ECI), intelligence, and urban development, Jatin provides authoritative analysis of the forces shaping Indian democracy. He is an alumnus of Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU) and the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, where he specialized in Print Journalism.
Expertise
High-Stakes Beat Coverage: Throughout his decade-and-a-half career, Jatin has covered some of the most sensitive and influential beats in the country, including:
The Election Commission of India (ECI): Monitoring electoral policy, reforms, and the conduct of national and state polls.
National Security & Intelligence: Reporting on the internal mechanisms and developments within India's security apparatus.
Urban Development: Analyzing the policies and bureaucratic processes driving the transformation of India’s cities.
National Political Bureau: In his current role, he tracks the intersection of policy and politics, offering deep-dive reporting on the Union government and national political movements.
Academic Credentials:
Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU): Alumnus of one of Delhi's premier institutions.
Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai: Specialized in Print Journalism at India's most prestigious journalism school. ... Read More
