As Congress mulls resolution against LS Speaker, history shows even legendary Mavalankar wasn’t spared

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is in good company as there have been two occasions when resolutions for the removal of the Speaker had been moved, and both failed

Opposition MPs, in this case, largely the Congress legislature party is mooting an idea of a resolution against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, for being “unfair” to the opposition. While the decision to move the resolution is not yet concrete, with Congress yet to consult allies and fellow travellers on the issue, Speaker Om Birla is in good company when it comes to his fellow Speakers against whom resolutions have been moved by the opposition in the past.

“There have been two occasions when resolutions for the removal of the Speaker had been moved, the first in 1954 in the first Lok Sabha and the second in 1987, in the eighth Lok Sabha,” said Ravindra Garimella, former joint secretary (Legislation) in the Lok Sabha secretariat.

The 1954 resolution was against the legendary Lok Sabha Speaker G.V. Mavalankar, on December 18, 1954, and was moved by Socialist Party MP from Bihar, Vigneshwar Missir. While there is no clarity on the circumstances surrounding the reason why this was moved, late Jawaharlal Nehru was Prime Minister at that time and was to continue for a decade more, but the discussion on the resolution was presided over by A. Ayyangar, who then Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

The second instance was on April 15, 1987, and was against the Speaker Balram Jakhar. Interestingly, future Lok Sabha Speaker (14th Lok Sabha 2004-2009) Somnath Chatterjee, as member of the CPI(M) had moved the resolution, right in the middle of the Bofors storm buffeting the then Rajiv Gandhi government. Also interestingly, Thambi Durai was the Deputy Speaker then, a role he would reprise in the first Modi government between 2014-19.

In both these cases, the resolution was defeated, as the government had the requisite numbers, and was a single party majority House, therefore the idea of moving a resolution is largely symbolic and meant to be a commentary. Democratic politics and its devices are always layered, with the opposition doing its best to punch above the numbers it has.