Be impartial, defend Constitution, Opposition MPs tell new Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

New Delhi:

Smiles and handshakes between rivals today followed Om Birla’s re-election as Speaker of the Lok Sabha. This rare moment of bonhomie was short-lived, however, and chaos returned after the newly elected President spoke of the “dark days of emergency” and called for two minutes of silence.

Soon after Mr. Birla, a three-time MP, was re-elected by voice vote, Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi approached and congratulated him. Mr Gandhi also shook hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Then, the two leaders, accompanied by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, escorted Mr. Birla to the Speaker’s chair.

Congratulating Mr Birla, the Prime Minister said his “sweet smile makes the entire House happy”. “It is a matter of honor that you have been elected to this position for the second time,” the Prime Minister said.

Opposition leaders also congratulated the President, but added a clear message that the opposition must be allowed to speak as it also represents the voice of the people.

“The question is not how effectively the House is run. The question is how well India’s voice can be heard. So the idea that you can run the House effectively by doing silencing the voice of the opposition is an undemocratic idea “And this election has shown that the people of India expect the opposition to defend the Constitution,” said Mr. Gandhi, who is now head of the Constitution. the opposition. Several opposition leaders also mentioned in their congratulatory messages the massive suspension of deputies during the last mandate.

Addressing the House, Mr Birla said all members must work together for the nation. Calling on MPs to ensure decorum in the House, he said there should remain a difference between protesting in the sansad (House) and protesting in the sadak (street). Afterwards, he asked MPs to stand to observe two minutes of silence to mark the 50th anniversary of the “dark days of the Emergency”. This sparked an uproar from the opposition benches and the House was adjourned.

According to BJP sources, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Emergency. “It is our collective duty to raise awareness about all historical events. Awareness about the Constitution will only get stronger when the younger generation experiences democracy,” a source said.

On the President’s emergency remark, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said it was “unfortunate” that the President ended up undermining the spirit of consensus with a “divisive” statement. “It was not necessary. It was 49 years ago. If we have to go this far on a day when the message should be one of cooperation and consensus, it is unfortunate,” he said. declared.

This was only the third election of the Lok Sabha Speaker after Independence. The vote took place after the Congress forced a contest and fielded its eight-time MP K Suresh as the challenger. But the numbers were clearly tilted in Mr. Birla’s favor. While the NDA candidate had the support of 297 MLAs, the opposition candidate had 232.

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is generally chosen by consensus. This time, the government sought support from opposition parties. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge then responded that he would support the NDA candidate if the vice-president was nominated on the opposition benches.

The government, however, has made it clear that it is not currently considering a vice-presidential position, nor the opposition’s claim to this position. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said: “We asked them to support the President, but they said they will support him but they want the post of Vice President. We told them that the election process for the two positions is different. The process of choosing the president takes place before the vice president. It is therefore not correct to combine the two. »

Mr Gandhi lashed out at the government yesterday, saying the prime minister talks about cooperation but acts differently. He said Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, who was seeking support from opposition parties, had not responded to Mr Kharge.

“Rajnath Singh called Mallikarjun Kharge and asked him to extend his support…all the opposition said we will support, but the convention is that the Vice President should be on our side. Rajnath Singh said that he would call back… but he hasn’t done so yet… The Prime Minister asks for cooperation but our leader is being insulted.”

It may be noted that the post of Deputy Speaker of Parliament, traditionally given to an opposition MP, was vacant in the last Lok Sabha. In the previous one, the BJP had nominated its ally M. Thambi Durai of the AIADMK.