"Can someone be so powerful that he will suppress the Speaker?": Former VP Hamid Ansari

New Delhi [India], February 6 (ANI): Former Vice President and ex-Rajya Sabha Chairman, Hamid Ansari, on Friday reiterated that the Speaker must have absolute authority over the House's functioning and wondered if someone's influence is overriding the Speaker's powers
In an exclusive interview with ANI, reacting to recent remarks by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Ansari voiced a concern over the possibility of external powers--or the executive--overshadowing the Speaker's constitutional power, asking, "Can someone be so powerful that he will suppress the Speaker?"
Regarding parliamentary conduct and security, Ansari highlighted a fundamental shift in how the House is managed.
Speaking to ANI, Ex-Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari said, "The rules of the House are that the Speaker or the Chairman has absolute authority over the functioning of the House. Earlier, the security of the House was under the control of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, but that has changed now. I don't know what the Speaker must have thought, but can someone be so powerful that he will suppress the Speaker?"
This comes after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said he had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to come to the House yesterday to prevent any unpleasant incident, after receiving information that some Congress MPs could come to the PM's seat in the House and "resort to an unprecedented incident".
"The country saw what happened in the House yesterday. Everyone saw how the MPs approached the PM's chair in the House. I got information that any mishap could have happened. To ensure that such a situation does not arise, I conveyed to PM Modi not to come to the House," he said before adjourning the lower house.
"If this incident had occurred, this highly unpleasant scene would have shredded the democratic traditions of the country to pieces. To avert this, I requested that the Prime Minister that he should not come to the House. As the Speaker of the House, it was my responsibility to keep the high traditions and dignity of the House intact," Birla added.
He also expressed concern over Parliament's reduced sitting days, from 90-100 days to 50-60 days annually. He questioned the impact on legislative work.
Speaking to ANI, Ansari noted, "In the past, the average sitting of Parliament was 90-100 days per year, but today it has been reduced to 50-60 days a year. This means that the Parliament spends half the time on the work it is supposed to do. Why is this so?"
On the resignation of former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Ansari admitted uncertainty about the circumstances, calling it unprecedented. He noted the Vice President's role is significant, and resignations are rare, usually occurring if they assume the presidency.
"Even today, I have no idea what happened. I just know that the Vice President's post is a very big one, and no one has ever resigned from it. It can only occur in one situation: if the Vice President becomes the President. What happened, what the story is, I don't know. There is no pressure on him; he just resigned and was gone," he added.
Jagdeep Dhankhar, who resigned as Vice President on July 21, 2025. The government and Home Minister Amit Shah have maintained that Dhankhar resigned due to health issues and medical advice.
Ansari's comments coincide with the release of his new thoughts in "Arguably Contentious," where he warns of "ideological decadence" in the Indian political process. (ANI)