Moitra Takes Privilege Fight to IPU Over Speaker Inaction

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has taken her fight with the Lok Sabha Speaker to an international forum. On October 5, 2026, the Krishnanagar MP wrote directly to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Geneva.
Her charge is simple. She says all Opposition parties collectively wrote to Speaker Om Birla. They demanded that a breach-of-privilege motion in her case be taken up. Two months later, she says, there has been no action and not even an acknowledgement.
Moitra accuses the Speaker of attending IPU assemblies and sending ruling-party MPs to IPU events. At the same time, she says, he ignores the body’s own guidelines on the rights of Opposition parliamentarians. Her letter ends with a pointed question: can we expect some help from you?
The IPU, founded in 1889, has over 180 member parliaments. Its guidelines cover the rights and immunities of legislators, including the right to speak and be heard.
A breach-of-privilege motion is one of Parliament’s most serious instruments. When the Speaker does not admit it, a member has no conventional domestic escalation path left.
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