Today, the NDA again approved the name of Om Birla for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker. Actually, the election of the Lok Sabha Speaker is unopposed. But now for the first time the opposition has challenged the government by fielding its candidate (Congress MP K. Suresh) for this post. Therefore, the competition for this important post has become tough and now the next challenge for the NDA is to elect Om Birla. The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha has started from yesterday. On the second day of this session, which will run till July 3, the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected MPs is also taking place. On the first day of the session, 262 MPs took oath. Between 3 and 4 pm on Tuesday, 270 MPs including Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Dimple Yadav took oath as Lok Sabha members. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath as MP on Monday. NDA has once again given a chance to Om Birla for the Lok Sabha Speaker election. Om Birla was also the Lok Sabha Speaker in the last term.
The post of Vice President was not given to the opposition!
This year, breaking tradition, Lok Sabha Speaker’s election is being held. Now it is clear that there will be no unopposed election for this post. Today it has been announced that Congress is fielding K. Suresh, who has been an MP eight times, for this post. To decide the strategy, the leaders of the constituent parties of the India Alliance will hold a special meeting at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence at 8 pm tonight. He said, “To be honest, I have not discussed with anyone, it is a normal tradition that the post of Lok Sabha Speaker goes to the party only.” The post of Vice President used to go to the opposition party, but for the last 10 years and after winning more seats during the Modi government, they have refused to give the post of Vice President to the opposition. We have discussed with the constituent parties of the India Alliance, in which I have suggested that there should be an unopposed election for the post of Speaker, we agree that there should be an unopposed election for the post of Speaker. Give this message to the government. Along with this, NCP leader Sharad Pawar has said that I also suggested that the post of Deputy Speaker should be given to the opposition.
Talks for unopposed election fail
NDA leaders today signed a resolution in favour of Om Birla for the post of Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha. There is no consensus between the government and the opposition regarding the Speaker. After the NDA, today Bharat Aghadi has also fielded its candidate for the post of Speaker. Mallikarjun Kharge is a senior leader and I respect him. Union Minister Rajnath Singh said that I have spoken to him three times from yesterday till today.
MPs took oath in their mother tongue
MPs elected from different parts of the country took oath in their mother tongue including Hindi, English and Sanskrit. On the first day, 16 MPs including Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of late External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, took oath of office in Sanskrit. MPs from Darbhanga and Madhubani in Bihar took oath in Maithili with turbans on their heads. At the same time, many MPs from the south took oath in traditional attire. After the election of the new Lok Sabha Speaker in Parliament on Wednesday, the President will address a joint sitting of both the Houses on Thursday. Without the appointment of a pro tem speaker, the opposition has devised a strategy to trap the government on the issue of NEET-UG paper leak and postponement of other competitive examinations, which is likely to cause uproar in the House.
The power of Bharat Aghadi
Akhil Bharatiya Aghadi MPs gathered in the Parliament premises yesterday for a show of strength. They held copies of the Constitution in their hands and raised slogans of “Save Democracy”. Opposition leaders including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress’s Sudip Bandopadhyay, DMK’s TR Balu gathered near Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Parliament. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi was also there. They raised slogans like ‘Samvidhan Zindabad’, ‘Hum Samvidhan Bachayenge’, ‘Hum Apna Loktantra Bachayenge’ holding a copy of the Constitution.
What did Rahul Gandhi say?
It is alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have attacked the Constitution Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi has done this. We do not accept this attack and that is why we took oath with the Constitution in our hands. Rahul Gandhi said, our message is reaching the people and no power can touch the Constitution of India and we will protect it.
