The first phase of the budget session has widened the gap between the ruling party and the opposition, and the no-confidence motion will likely escalate.

News Topical, Digital Desk : The first phase of the Budget Session of Parliament saw uproar by the opposition, heated exchanges with the ruling party and continued disruption of proceedings.

Prime Minister Modi's refusal to speak amid fears of attack by opposition women MPs, the no-confidence motion against the Lok Sabha Speaker and the motion to terminate Rahul Gandhi's membership made it clear that the opposition between the ruling party and the opposition is bordering on bitterness.

What happened?

It is worth noting that in 2014, as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj had warned that we are opponents, not enemies. A seemingly normal budget session devolved into a personal battle as soon as the debate on the President's address began the day after the budget was presented.

The fight that started with Rahul Gandhi's insistence on reading excerpts from General Naravane's unpublished book escalated to giving other MPs the opportunity to speak without the Leader of the Opposition speaking, and then to allegations of fear of an unexpected incident with Prime Minister Modi.

The Lok Sabha Speaker himself told the House that only after receiving concrete information, he himself had advised Prime Minister Modi not to come to the House. In response to the denial made by the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju released the video of the presence of Congress women MPs near the Prime Minister's seat and the BJP leaders folding their hands.

Moreover, Rijiju also released a video of a conversation between opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha Speaker's chamber, accusing them of threatening Om Birla. In response to the no-confidence motion against the Speaker, Kiren Rijiju announced a breach of privilege motion against Rahul Gandhi.

Breach of privilege motion shelved

However, the breach of privilege motion has been put on hold in light of Nishikant Dubey's proposal to terminate Rahul Gandhi's membership. Given the assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala in April, the second phase of the budget session is expected to be even more intense.

During this period, the no-confidence motion against the Speaker of the Lok Sabha will also be discussed, as will the proposal to terminate Rahul Gandhi's membership. Given the NDA's numerical strength in the Lok Sabha, the defeat of the no-confidence motion against Om Birla is considered certain. However, if the BJP moves forward with the removal of the Leader of the Opposition's membership based on this numerical strength, it will create an unprecedented situation.

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