Thiruvananthapuram, March 8 -- Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said the opposition plans to move a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday, acknowledging that the government's majority makes its passage unlikely.

However, Tharoor emphasised that the move would give opposition parties an opportunity to place their concerns before the House and the nation, calling it a "sad situation" but an important democratic exercise.

"I know the no-confidence motion will be raised tomorrow. We expect a good chunk of the time to be gone on that. It's a sad situation that it's come to this, because obviously, in Parliament, everyone wants to work in cooperation with the Speaker. But some people have had reason to feel this way....