LS rejects Oppn's no-trust motion against Speaker

AFTER nearly 10 hours of acrimonious exchanges between the Treasury and Opposition benches, the Lok Sabha on Wednesday rejected a no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla through a voice vote.

- PREETHA NAIR @New Delhi

The motion, moved by several Opposition parties accusing the Speaker of conducting House proceedings in a partisan manner, was declared defeated by the Chair amid loud protests and sloganeering by the Opposition over remarks made by Union home minister Amit Shah about Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

Responding to the two-day debate on the motion, Shah launched a sharp attack on Ra-hul, making critical remarks about his conduct in Parliament. His comments triggered strong protests from Opposition members, who trooped into the Well of the House demanding an apology from the home minister.