Opposition parties have submitted a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. In the last six years, such motions have been moved against the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankhar. The appropriate constitutional authorities rejected both these notices, and they did not reach the stage of discussion in the Rajya Sabha. But irrespective of the outcome of the motion against the Speaker, it raises two critical questions.
The first is an immediate operational question. Our Constitution has provisions to ensure continuity in high constitutional offices. So when President Zakir Hussain died, Vice President V V Giri acted as President till elections could be held. Similarly, when Vice President Dhankhar resigned, the Deputy Chairman took over the responsibilities for the Rajya Sabha. Similarly, the office of the Speaker will never be vacant.