Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla conducts proceedings in the House during the Budget session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026.  
Politics

'Not your advisor': LS Speaker Birla to Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi | "I am not your advisor," Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla told Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the House on Monday.

The speaker made the remarks when Gandhi asked him to let him know what he should speak during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address.

Gandhi kicked off a row seeking to quote from former Army chief M M Naravane's unpublished "memoir" on the 2020 India-China conflict.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah strongly objected to Gandhi quoting from an unpublished book.

"Do one thing, you tell me what I should speak," Gandhi said, addressing the speaker.

"I am not your advisor. As the Speaker, it is my responsibility to ensure that the House functions as per the rules and convention," Birla said.

The speaker said nobody was being stopped from speaking in the House and underlined that members should follow the rules.

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