News Analysis India

Tag: Lok Sabha Speaker

  • Lok Sabha Live Updates: NDA Vs Opposition On Speaker Post, Om Birla Vs K Suresh| Updates |

    Lok Sabha Speaker Election: Kota MP Om Birla, who previously served as Lok Sabha Speaker of the previous House, submitted his nomination as an NDA candidate on Tuesday. Birla’s name was unanimously agreed upon by all NDA parties, and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh also sought the opposition’s support. The INDIA bloc fielded Congress leader K Suresh as its candidate for the Speaker’s position against Om Birla, accusing the ruling NDA of failing to follow convention in handing over the Dy speaker position to the opposition.

    Congress leader K C Venugopal and DMK’s T R Baalu walked out of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s office, refusing to endorse NDA candidate Birla unless they were offered the position of Deputy Speaker. Venugopal stated that the BJP refused to commit to offering the Deputy Speaker position to the opposition.

    Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Lalan Singh accused the Congress of imposing conditions, adding that the ruling alliance was willing to discuss their demand when the election for Deputy Speaker took place.

    According to sources, over ten sets of nominations were filed in support of Birla’s candidature, including those from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Shah, Singh, and Nadda, as well as BJP allies such as the TDP, JD(U), JD(S), and LJP(R).

    Three nominations were submitted in support of Suresh, a Dalit leader and eight-term MP.

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had clarified on Tuesday that the INDIA bloc will only support the government’s nomination if the opposition is given the deputy speaker’s position. He also said that Defence Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh had yet to respond to the opposition’s request for the post of deputy speaker. Gandhi also accused the BJP of insulting Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. 

    While speaking to reporters outside the Parliament house, Gandhi said, “Today it is written in the newspaper that PM Modi has said that the Opposition should cooperate with the Govt constructively. Rajnath Singh called Mallikarjun Kharge and he asked him to extend support to the Speaker. The entire Opposition said that we would support the Speaker but the convention is that the Deputy Speaker post should be given to the opposition.”

    #WATCH | Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says “Today it is written in the newspaper that PM Modi has said that the Opposition should cooperate with the Govt constructively. Rajnath Singh called Mallikarjun Kharge and he asked him to extend support to the Speaker. The entire… pic.twitter.com/yR5CzlagEx


    — ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2024

    “Rajnath Singh said that he would call back Mallikarjun Kharge but he has not done that yet…PM Modi is asking for cooperation from Opposition but our leader is getting insulted…,” he said.

    Here are the live updates on Lok Sabha speaker’s election: 

    12:30 pm: Congress leader K C Venugopal and DMK’s T R Baalu walked out of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s office, refusing to endorse NDA candidate Birla unless they were offered the position of Deputy Speaker.

    Venugopal stated that the BJP refused to commit to offering the Deputy Speaker position to the opposition.

    12:00 pm: Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Lalan Singh accused the Congress of imposing conditions, saying the ruling alliance was willing to discuss their demand when the election for Deputy Speaker was held.

  • President appoints seven-term Lok Sabha member Bhartruhari Mahtab as pro-tem Speaker

    President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Bhartruhari Mahtab as Speaker Protem under Article 95(1) of the Constitution to perform the duties of Speaker till election of the Speaker.

    “President is pleased to appoint Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab, Member, Lok Sabha as Speaker Protem under Article 95(1) of the Constitution to perform the duties of Speaker till election of the Speaker,” announced Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.

    Additionally, the President appointed Suresh Kodikunnil, Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu, Radha Mohan Singh, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Sudip Bandyopadhyay to assist Speaker Protem in Oath/Affirmation to newly elected Members of 18th Lok Sabha till election of the Speaker, informed Rijiju. — KirenRijiju (@KirenRijiju) Speaker elections:The election for the post of Lok Sabha speaker is to be held on June 26, an official statement from the Lok Sabha said.Before appointment of Mahtab, BJP MP Om Birla was holding the post of Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament. He was elected as the speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha in June 2019, following a motion for election moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will be held from June 24 and conclude on July 3 for oath/affirmation of newly elected Members, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju said on Wednesday.The 264th Session of Rajya Sabha will also commence on June 27 and conclude on July 3, the minister said.

    “First Session of 18th Lok Sabha is being summoned from 24.6.24 to 3.7.24 for oath/affirmation of newly elected Members, Election of Speaker, President’s Address and discussion thereon. 264th Session of Rajya Sabha will commence on 27.6.24 and conclude on 3.7.24.”

    President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on June 27.

    The last session of the 17th Lok Sabha (Budget session) was held between January 31 and February 10, 2024.

    (with agency inputs)

  • Never refer to anyone’s caste or religion in House: Lok Sabha Speaker warns members

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday warned members against referring to anyone’s caste and religion in the House after a Congress MP alleged that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made certain remarks about his proficiency in Hindi because he belonged to a particular community.

    Taking serious exception to the word used by Congress member A R Reddy to refer to his own social category during the Question Hour, the Speaker pointed out that people have not elected the members to Lok Sabha on the basis of their caste and religion.

    “Anyone here should never use such words in the House. Otherwise, I will have to take action against such a member,” the Speaker warned.

    Birla also took serious exception to the Congress member asking the Speaker not to “interrupt” him when he was asking a question.

    Birla asked the Congress leader in the House, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, to make his party members understand that they should never make such comments about the Speaker.

    “You are the Leader of the House. Make members understand that they should never comment on the Speaker in the future ‘that you (Speaker) cannot interrupt’. Did you understand what I said?” Birla said.

    The issue appeared as Reddy began asking a question on the depreciation of the rupee against the dollar, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier remark when he was the chief minister of Gujarat that the rupee was in the ICU (intensive care unit).

    “Sir, you cannot interrupt,” Reddy said as the Speaker objected to his comment and directed him to limit himself to asking the question.

    Birla warned Reddy against making such comments against the Speaker and then allowed him to ask his question.

    Responding to Reddy’s question, the finance minister said she will also give her reply in “weak Hindi” to the question asked by the Congress member in “weak Hindi.”

    The Congress member, while referring to Modi’s remarks on the value of the rupee against the dollar in the past, should have also referred to the economic indicators of that time, she said.

    “Economy was certainly in the ICU then. India was kept in fragile five,” she said.

    India is the fastest growing economy today despite the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, she asserted.

    “This is a matter of pride. But they are making fun of it,” she said.

    “It’s sad that they talk such things out of jealousy when our economy is doing well,” she added.

    The finance minister asserted that the Indian rupee has been strong against “every currency”.

    “And, that is proved and I can read the records,” she added.

    The US dollar is getting “stronger and stronger” due to “the policy adopted by the US Fed”, the finance minister said.

    In the last couple of weeks, the foreign reserves have gone up because of the flow of FDIs and FIIs, she said.

    “The fact remains that the reserves are going up. That’s why, at this time, talks about foreign exchange, rupee depreciation, reserves coming down or investors running away are actually not proven by data,” she added.

    NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday warned members against referring to anyone’s caste and religion in the House after a Congress MP alleged that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made certain remarks about his proficiency in Hindi because he belonged to a particular community.

    Taking serious exception to the word used by Congress member A R Reddy to refer to his own social category during the Question Hour, the Speaker pointed out that people have not elected the members to Lok Sabha on the basis of their caste and religion.

    “Anyone here should never use such words in the House. Otherwise, I will have to take action against such a member,” the Speaker warned.

    Birla also took serious exception to the Congress member asking the Speaker not to “interrupt” him when he was asking a question.

    Birla asked the Congress leader in the House, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, to make his party members understand that they should never make such comments about the Speaker.

    “You are the Leader of the House. Make members understand that they should never comment on the Speaker in the future ‘that you (Speaker) cannot interrupt’. Did you understand what I said?” Birla said.

    The issue appeared as Reddy began asking a question on the depreciation of the rupee against the dollar, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier remark when he was the chief minister of Gujarat that the rupee was in the ICU (intensive care unit).

    “Sir, you cannot interrupt,” Reddy said as the Speaker objected to his comment and directed him to limit himself to asking the question.

    Birla warned Reddy against making such comments against the Speaker and then allowed him to ask his question.

    Responding to Reddy’s question, the finance minister said she will also give her reply in “weak Hindi” to the question asked by the Congress member in “weak Hindi.”

    The Congress member, while referring to Modi’s remarks on the value of the rupee against the dollar in the past, should have also referred to the economic indicators of that time, she said.

    “Economy was certainly in the ICU then. India was kept in fragile five,” she said.

    India is the fastest growing economy today despite the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, she asserted.

    “This is a matter of pride. But they are making fun of it,” she said.

    “It’s sad that they talk such things out of jealousy when our economy is doing well,” she added.

    The finance minister asserted that the Indian rupee has been strong against “every currency”.

    “And, that is proved and I can read the records,” she added.

    The US dollar is getting “stronger and stronger” due to “the policy adopted by the US Fed”, the finance minister said.

    In the last couple of weeks, the foreign reserves have gone up because of the flow of FDIs and FIIs, she said.

    “The fact remains that the reserves are going up. That’s why, at this time, talks about foreign exchange, rupee depreciation, reserves coming down or investors running away are actually not proven by data,” she added.

  • National-level discussion needed to check rising tendency of indiscipline in legislature: Om Birla

    Birla said legislatures should be centres of solving common man's problems and fulfilling their needs through a comprehensive discussion and dialogue without disruptions.

  • Lok Sabha Speaker moots ‘one nation, one set of rules for legislatures’ for better productivity

    By PTI

    SHIMLA: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday mooted the idea of ‘one nation, one uniform set of legislative rules and procedures’ to make legislatures in the country more productive and accountable to the people.

    Addressing the centenary year celebrations of the All India Presiding Officers’ Conference in Shimla, Birla expressed concern over a decline in the number of sittings in legislative bodies and a lack of discussion over law making.

    He underlined that there is a need to take decisive measures in this direction after consultation with all political outfits.

    Birla also called upon presiding officers to review the procedures and rules of legislative bodies to ensure that people’s rights can be protected.

    A model document should be prepared for uniformity of laws and procedures in all legislative bodies, he said.

    “With a collective resolve, we should prepare such a model document that when 100 years of our independence are completed, there should be uniformity in the rules and procedures of all the legislatures, and the working of the legislative bodies should be according to the hopes and aspirations of the people,” Birla said.

    “There are different sets of rules in different state assemblies. In a democratic country, there should be one set of uniform rules for legislative business across the country. One nation, one uniform set of rules and procedures for legislative bodies,” he added.

    The Lok Sabha Speaker said the move would make “legislatures more productive and accountable to the people.”

    However, nothing will be “bulldozed” on anyone, he said.

    Talking about legislative proceedings, Birla said, “The decreasing number of meetings of the legislatures and the lack of discussion at the time of making laws are also a matter of concern for us.

    “Therefore some decisive steps need to be taken after consulting all political parties so that the dignity and the prestige of the law making bodies can be enhanced further.”

    Pitching for changes in rules and procedures of legislative bodies, he said changes should be brought in the functioning of law making bodies “so that they can be made the carriers of fulfilling the hopes and expectations of the people, and democracy in the country becomes stronger”.

    Underlining that the broader objective of law making bodies should be to protect the rights of the people, Birla said the role of public representatives should be strong, accountable and transparent.

    The All India Presiding Officers’ Conference, the apex body of the legislatures in India, is celebrating its 100th year in 2021.

    To commemorate the centennial year, the conference is being be held in Shimla on November 17-18.

    The first conference was also held in Shimla in 1921.

  • Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expresses concern over declining decorum in legislatures

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday expressed concern over gradual decay in the discipline and decorum in the legislatures.

    Addressing a press conference on the eve of 100th anniversary of the All India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC), he said it will ponder upon the continuing decline in decorum of the legislatures across the country.

    AIPOC, the apex body of the legislatures in India, is celebrating its hundred years in 2021.

    “The Shimla Conference will ponder over gradual decay in the discipline and decorum in the legislatures which is a matter of concern,” he said.

    The speaker also emphasised on the roles and responsibilities of members in the House for the smooth conduct of proceedings.

    Talking about the anti-defection law, Birla said a committee was constituted on the subject matter during the Presiding Officers’ Conference in 2019 and it is likely that a detailed discussion on the report will be held in Shimla.

  • Nehru’s birth anniversary: Opposition slams government over absence of RS Chairman, LS Speaker from Parliament event

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Opposition on Sunday hit out at the government over the absence of Rajya Sabha Chairman, Lok Sabha Speaker and ministers from the traditional event marking the birth anniversary of those whose portraits adorn Parliament’s Central Hall.

    Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, along with other party leaders, attended the event marking the birth anniversary of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

    “Extraordinary scene today in Parliament at the traditional function to mark the birth anniversary of those whose portraits adorn the Central Hall. Speaker Lok Sabha absent. Chairman Rajya Sabha absent. Not a single Minister present. Can it get more atrocious than this?!” Congress’ chief whip in Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh, who attended the event, said on Twitter.

    Tagging Ramesh’s tweet, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien also hit out at the government.

    “Nothing surprises me anymore. This dispensation is destroying India’s great institutions, including #Parliament one day at a time,” said O’Brien in a tweet.

    Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to pay tributes to Nehru on his birth anniversary.

    Born in 1889, the Congress stalwart remains India’s longest-serving prime minister.

  • Monsoon session of Parliament to start from July 19, conclude on August 13: LS speaker Om Birla

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Monday said all Covid-related protocols will be followed during the Monsoon Session of parliament scheduled to begin from July 19.

    He said those who have not been vaccinated against coronavirus will be requested to undergo an RT-PCR test before entering the parliament premises during the session.

    Addressing a press conference in the parliament complex, Birla said 323 MPs have been fully vaccinated against the virus, while 23 have not been able to take their first jab due to some medical reasons.

    Birla said both the Houses will sit simultaneously and proceedings will start from 11 am.

    The Monsoon Session of parliament will begin from July 19 and conclude on August 13.

    Since the pandemic began, three sessions of Parliament were curtailed while the winter session last year had to be cancelled.

    The Monsoon Session, which usually starts in July, had begun in September last year owing to the pandemic situation.

  • Share details of relief work done during COVID-19 pandemic: Lok Sabha Speaker to MPs

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday urged Members of Parliament to share details of the relief work done by them in their constituencies amid the COVID-19 pandemic to develop best practices at the national level to deal with similar situations in future.

    Birla, in a letter to all the MPs, said as public representatives, it is the duty of parliamentarians to stand with people in this severe crisis and help them in every respect.

    “I believe that you have spent most of your time helping people in their adversity. You have not only given moral support to the distressed citizens but have also made all out efforts to resolve their problems,” he said in the letter.

    “The need of the hour is to share your stellar work and experiences with the entire country so that we are able to develop best practices at the national level to deal with such situations,” the speaker said.

    Birla, the MP from Kota in Rajasthan, had announced that students who were preparing for medical and engineering entrance exams and had lost their parents or earning members of the family to COVID-19 would be provided free coaching and accommodation in his constituency.

  • Parliament, Assemblies worked together amid COVID, contributed to govt’s efforts: Om Birla

    Birla said this collective cooperation is our source of strength. We should strengthen our collective efforts and try to make them even more effective.