The Congress on Tuesday formally submitted a notice to move a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, marking a major escalation in the ongoing standoff between the government and the opposition in Parliament. The notice was handed over to the Secretary General of the Lok Sabha by opposition leaders K Suresh and Mohammad Javed.

According to sources quoted by India TV, the no-confidence motion has been signed by 118 Members of Parliament belonging to opposition parties under the INDIA bloc. However, a key ally, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has chosen not to support the move and has stayed away from signing the notice.

Sources said the TMC disagreed with the timing of the motion and refused to be part of the Congress-led strategy to seek the Speaker’s removal. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee clarified his party’s stand, saying they had advised the Congress to first make a formal appeal to the Speaker regarding the opposition’s demands and allow him three days to respond.

“We told the Congress that the Speaker should be given time to consider the opposition’s appeal. If the notice is submitted today, TMC will not sign it. But if the Speaker does not agree to the opposition’s demands after that, we are prepared to support a no-confidence motion,” Banerjee said.

Despite TMC’s absence, several other opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), have backed the motion. With 118 MPs signing the notice, the opposition claims it has demonstrated broad unity against the Speaker’s conduct.

The latest move comes amid allegations by opposition parties that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was repeatedly denied the opportunity to speak in the Lok Sabha. The issue intensified during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, when Gandhi attempted to refer to former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane’s unpublished memoir while speaking about the 2020 India-China military standoff.

The Speaker ruled that unpublished material could not be cited in the House and asked Gandhi not to refer to it. Opposition leaders have argued that this decision curtailed the LoP’s right to speak, further deepening tensions in Parliament.

Meanwhile, sources told India TV that talks between the government and opposition failed, as the government did not accept four key demands raised by opposition leaders. With the deadlock continuing, the no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla has now become the latest flashpoint in the ongoing parliamentary confrontation.