Opposition parties are planning to move a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, according to sources on Monday, February 9, 2026. This decision follows a meeting of INDIA bloc floor leaders held in the Parliament House complex at the office of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was also present at the meeting.

The opposition's move stems from their dissatisfaction with Speaker Birla's handling of parliamentary proceedings. They allege that Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to speak during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address. Senior Left MP NK Premchandran stated that Speaker Birla prevented Gandhi from speaking in the House. Congress MP KC Venugopal added to this sentiment, saying that the House was being run like a preserve of the government, which is unacceptable.

The situation escalated the previous week when Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from former Army Chief General MM Naravane's "unpublished" memoir to discuss the 2020 standoff with China. The Speaker ruled against this, denying permission to proceed with the reading.

Adding to the controversy, Speaker Birla revealed that he had advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to attend the Lok Sabha session on January 28 due to security concerns. He stated he had received information that some Congress MPs might approach the PM's seat in the House and "resort to an unprecedented incident".

Responding to reports of a potential no-confidence motion, Congress claimed on Monday that there is no space for the opposition in the Lok Sabha and stated to "wait for action". K.C. Venugopal also alleged that Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders are not being allowed to express their views in the Lower House, while the government side can say whatever they want and even make "derogatory remarks" against the opposition member. He criticized the Speaker for allegedly making allegations against Congress women MPs.

The Lok Sabha has experienced disruptions in recent days, with opposition parties demanding debates on various issues. On Monday, proceedings were adjourned until 12 noon due to opposition sloganeering demanding a discussion on the India-US interim trade framework. Speaker Birla urged the MPs to maintain decorum, assuring them that there would be no bar on any MP speaking on the floor.

While the opposition acknowledges that their numbers in the House make the motion largely symbolic, they view it as a crucial form of protest against the Speaker's conduct. A similar attempt was made in December 2024 against Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, but it was rejected due to procedural errors.

A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary procedure used to determine if the House has confidence in the Council of Ministers. If passed by a majority, the ministers are expected to resign.