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The no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla was doomed to fall because the Narendra Modi government has numerical superiority over the opposition parties. Has this victory accorded greater legitimacy to Birla, who was accused of blatant partisan conduct aimed at providing political comfort to the government? Has his stature as a neutral umpire been enhanced after the enormous praise he received from the ruling combine?

An impartial arbitrator in parliament is designed for the protection of democratic principles. Parliament has not been conceptualised only to facilitate the government’s business and enact legislation. That can also be done without the institution of parliament, which is envisaged fundamentally to save the nation from a government drunk on power. Parliament’s primary purpose is to make the government responsive and accountable.

The speaker’s role emanates from this responsibility. Lavish praise of the speaker by the rulers – be it the home minister or other MPs – has little value. The government’s frenzied defence only deepens the suspicion that the speaker is serving their interests. Only the opposition leaders’ endorsement bolsters a speaker’s credentials.

The speaker sits in parliament not to protect the powerful but to ensure that the voice of the powerless is heard. The powerless are those citizens who speak through the opposition. Only the most vulnerable want an impartial arbitrator; the most powerful demand an obedient collaborator. A collaborator who will not only trample over the rights of political opponents but go so far as to deny an invitation to the president of India for the foundation-laying and inauguration ceremonies of the new parliament building; a collaborator who will see the opposition as the destroyer of the emperor’s joys rather than the protector of democratic values.

The imagery of rejoicing rulers and a discontented opposition in parliament bears testimony to the umpire’s diminishing neutrality.

Home minister Amit Shah made some important points in his speech: the speaker symbolises parliamentary dignity, his decision is the last word not liable to scrutiny or criticism, maintaining order and decorum is the speaker’s first task and democracy comes under a cloud if the chair is........

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