Om Birla to skip LS proceedings

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has decided to skip proceedings of the Lower House until the Opposition’s notice for a motion to remove him is disposed of by the House, sources said.

This comes after Congress on Tuesday moved a no-confidence notice against Birla, accusing him of repeated partisan conduct during the ongoing Budget session. The party alleged that he denied Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi an opportunity to speak and ordered the suspension of opposition MPs.

Reacting to the motion, BJP slammed the opposition for submitting a notice for moving a resolution to remove Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla from office, saying the time has come for India to "impeach" Rahul Gandhi and the Congress from politics.