New Delhi:

The re-election of Om Birla to the Lok Sabha Speaker’s post – a formality given the ruling BJP-led coalition always had the numbers – was followed by a flurry of congratulatory messages, and appeals to the Kota MP to run an impartial House – from opposition leaders, including the Congress’ Rahul Gandhi.

The opposition MPs – who backed the Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh – struck several common notes, including urging Mr Birla, a three-time BJP MP from Rajasthan’s Kota, to ensure impartiality in conduct of the House and to allow their members time to voice their concerns and criticisms.

The reference – made overtly by some – was to the shocking mass suspension of MPs last year.

READ | Be Impartial, Defend Constitution”: Opposition MPs To Om Birla

Nearly two-third of the opposition was ejected by Mr Birla amid vociferous protests on several issues, including a security breach that month. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor – re-elected to the 18th Lok Sabha from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram – called the suspensions a “betrayal of democracy”.

Today, after a rare election for the post of the Speaker – traditionally a unanimous pick to underscore bonhomie on conduct of the House – the Congress’ Rahul Gandhi – was the first opposition leader to speak, and he immediately took a jab at the new two-time Speaker.

READ | Rahul Gandhi Debuts As Leader of Opposition With Sharp Message

“I am confident you will allow us to speak. The question is not how efficiently the House is run… it is how much of India’s voice is being heard. So the idea you can run the House efficiently – by silencing the voice of the opposition – is a non-democratic idea, and this election has shown the people expect the opposition to defend the Constitution,” Mr Gandhi, now Leader of the Opposition, said.

Mr Gandhi contested and won the Congress’ Raebareli bastion in Uttar Pradesh and its stronghold of Wayanad in Kerala. He will surrender the latter and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest the bypoll.

The Congress leader was followed by Akhilesh Yadav, whose Samajwadi Party is a member of the INDIA bloc and the third-largest party in the Lok Sabha, thanks to a stunning show in Uttar Pradesh.

“We expect the voice of the opposition will not be crushed… we expect there will be no more expulsions,” Mr Yadav said, urging Om Birla to ensure equality in treatment of all MPs.

READ | “Hope Suspension Of MPs Will…”: Akhilesh Yadav To Speaker

“We hope you will give equal respect to every MP… we will stand by all your just decisions (but) expect it won’t be just the opposition kept under check,” Mr Yadav, who won the Kannauj seat, said.

The Trinamool’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay and the DMK’s TR Baalu made similar appeals.

Mr Bandyopadhyay – whose party demurred yesterday over the nomination of K Suresh – said the functioning of the House depended on maintaining parliamentary democratic practice.

“It is my firm belief, so far as parliamentary democratic practice is concerned, that the House belongs to the opposition. This attitude needs to be adopted by the ruling party,” he said.

He referred to last year’s mass suspension of MPs and called it “not desirable”.

Mr Baalu, meanwhile, reminded the new Speaker that he does not, now, belong to any party.

“You might have been elected by my BJP friends (but) there can now be no politics between you and the powers. You have to treat the opposition and the ruling party the same. Kindly be impartial,” he said.

PM’s Praise For Speaker

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his congratulations to Mr Birla and declared the Kota lawmaker will play a significant role in ensuring the House meets the expectations of the people.

READ | PM Praises Speaker Om Birla: “Key Bills Passed Under Your Leadership”

“I congratulate you on behalf of the entire House and look forward to your guidance for the next five years,” the Prime Minister said, adding “Your sweet smile keeps the entire House happy.”

This was only the third election for a Lok Sabha Speaker since independence.

Voting took place after the Congress forced a contest and fielded eight-time MP K Suresh. The numbers, though, were always on Mr Birla’s side; he had 297 votes to the opposition pick’s 232.

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New Delhi:

Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh – a late entrant in the Lok Sabha Speaker race – has accused the government of “breaking convention” regarding the naming of an opposition leader as the Deputy Speaker of the House. “We tried for a consensus but the ruling party… they are not ready. Consensus means, if we support Speaker, then they should give Deputy’s post to opposition,” he told NDTV.

Mr Suresh was also asked about the futility of contesting an election for the Speaker’s position – given s/he is elected by simple majority and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance can count, potentially on over 300 votes. “Numbers are not the point. Winning or losing is a different matter.”

“The point is, there is a convention in Lok Sabha… a convention the government is breaking. There is a system for the Speaker’s post (referring to the opposition’s argument that the Deputy Speaker needs to be from a non-ruling party to ensure balance) and that has been broken…” he told NDTV.

Mr Suresh also rubbished the BJP-led NDA’s claim the opposition is indulging in “pressure tactics”.

“We are not pressurising… we are only asking for our right. Deputy Speaker is the opposition’s right… that is all we are doing. If they are not ready to do even that…” he said shrugging his shoulders.

Mr Suresh also referred to the row over the Pro Tem Speaker’s post, which the Congress and the opposition had expected would be handed to him given his status as one of the senior-most MPs.

There was drama in Parliament this morning after the BJP-led NDA government reached out to the Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc to build consensus to re-appoint Kota MP Om Birla as Speaker.

READ | Government vs Opposition On Speaker, First Contest In Decades

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju met INDIA bloc leaders, including the Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge, and were the opposition wanted the Deputy Speaker’s post.

READ | In Speaker Row, Rajnath Singh’s Call, Congress’ Deputy Reply

Sources, however, told NDTV the BJP said a decision on his deputy would be taken later.

The opposition, however, refused to play ball and, as the clock ticked down to the noon deadline, whispers emerged that the Congress’ K Suresh would be offered as an alternative to Om Birla.

And so it happened; as visuals showed senior leaders from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance accompanying Mr Birla to file his papers, it was confirmed that Mr Suresh had submitted his name.

This means, for the first time in decades, there will be a formal election to pick the Speaker.

READ | Om Birla To Be Speaker Again, BJP-Led Govt Sticks To Continuity

Meanwhile, in the inevitable back-and-forth that followed the opposition’s decision, BJP sources told NDTV efforts were made to build consensus but the opposition responded with “pressure politics”.

Sources said the Congress’ KC Venugopal and TR Baalu of Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK insisted on a commitment from the BJP – one to the effect the Deputy Speaker would be an opposition MP.

Earlier, while the INDIA bloc was waiting on the BJP’s response, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi referred to media reports that quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the opposition to work “constructively”.

“Today newspapers reported that PM Modi said the opposition should cooperate constructively. Rajnath Singh called Mallikarjun Kharge and asked him to extend support… entire opposition said we will support but convention is Deputy Speaker should be from our side. Rajnath Singh said he would call back… but he has not yet…PM is asking for cooperation but our leader is getting insulted…”

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New Delhi:

The BJP’s ruling coalition and the Congress’ INDIA opposition bloc will go head-to-head Wednesday in a battle for the Speaker’s post – arguably one of the most important in a parliamentary democracy and to be held for the first time since 1952 – after the two failed to agree a division of seats.

The election will see the BJP’s Om Birla, a three-time MP from Kota in Rajasthan, up against the Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh, an eight-term parliamentarian from Kerala’s Mavelikara.

Mr Birla is likely to win given the BJP-led alliance’s majority; the Lok Sabha Speaker is elected by a simple majority of MPs voting and the ruling coalition can call on 293 votes to the INDIA bloc’s 232.

There was much drama this morning – ahead of the noon deadline to file nominations – as the BJP sought the opposition’s consensus over the re-appointment of Mr Birla as the Lok Sabha Speaker.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju were so tasked.

Mr Singh and Mr Rijiju met INDIA bloc leaders, including the Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge, and were told consensus was not a problem, so long as the Deputy Speaker’s post is allotted to the opposition.

The deputy’s chair is traditionally reserved for an opposition MP to ensure a balanced House.

The post was not filled in the second Modi government (2019-2024), but in the first (2014-2019), it was awarded to an ally of the ruling BJP – the AIADMK’s M Thambidurai held the position.

Unfortunately for the BJP, the meeting with the opposition leaders did not go as hoped; the INDIA bloc said it was ready to support Mr Birla’s candidate providing it was given the deputy’s post.

Sources told NDTV the BJP was not forthcoming on this demand; the party reportedly wanted immediate consensus for Mr Birla and said a decision on his deputy would be taken later.

The opposition, however, refused to play ball and, as the clock ticked down to the noon deadline, whispers emerged that the Congress’ K Suresh would be offered as an alternative to Om Birla.

And so it happened; as visuals showed senior leaders from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance accompanying Mr Birla to file his papers, it was confirmed that Mr Suresh had submitted his name.

In the inevitable back-and-forth to follow, BJP sources told NDTV efforts had been made to build consensus with an opposition that responded with “pressure politics”. Sources claimed the Congress’ KC Venugopal and TR Baalu of Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK insisted on a commitment from the BJP – one to the effect that the Deputy Speaker would be a member of the INDIA grouping.

Sources in the BJP, which was unwilling to offer such an assurance, have now blamed the opposition’s “lack of commitment led to a failure of consensus”.

New Delhi:

Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday raised the national flag at the new Parliament building in New Delhi.

Flanked by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, he hoisted the flag atop the “Gaja Dwar” of the new Parliament building.

#WATCH | Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar hoists the national flag at Gaj Dwar, the New Building of Parliament. pic.twitter.com/dwlGNDfjGq

— ANI (@ANI) September 17, 2023

The hoisting ceremony takes place a day before the five-day Parliament session begins Monday which may see parliamentary proceedings shift from the old to the adjacent new building.

Earlier, Dhankhar and Birla were separately accorded a guard of honour by the CRPF’s Parliament Duty Group.

“It is a historic moment, Bharat is witnessing epochal change. The world is in total recognition of might, power and contribution of Bharat,” Dhankhar told reporters after the ceremony.

Union ministers, including Piyush Goyal, Pralhad Joshi and Arjun Ram Meghwal, attended the ceremony where leaders from other political parties were also present.

Dhankhar and Birla interacted with the guests after the event as a CRPF band played in the background.

Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge had said on Saturday that he would not be able to attend the flag hoisting function and expressed disappointment over getting the invite “quite late”.

He wrote to Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody, saying that he received the invite for the function only in the late evening of September 15.

The Congress Working Committee is meeting in Hyderabad.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)