Lok Sabha Speaker Election Highlights: Lok Sabha adjourned after uproar over Om Birla’s ‘Emergency a dark chapter’ remark

• BJP's Om Birla won the election held for the Lok Sabha Speaker's post, in which he was pitted against Congress' Lodikunnil Suresh.
• Rahul Gandhi was appointed the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.
• Speaker's reference to Emergency in the Lok Sabha sparked a face-off with Congress.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the Speaker's reference to Emergency and said it was important for the youths as the period was a "fitting example of what happens when the Constitution is trampled over, public opinion is stifled and institutions are destroyed".
• AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi said that the BJP will not be able to "steam roll" the opposition as the character of the House has changed in new Lok Sabha.
• BJP MPs, including Union ministers, held a protest in the Parliament Complex on Wednesday, targeting the Congress over the imposition of Emergency in 1975 and demanding the opposition party's apology for violating the Constitution.

In a rare gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi shook hands in the Lok Sabha just before they escorted Om Birla to the Chair after he was chosen as speaker of the Lower House.

Soon after pro-tem Speaker B Mahtab made the announcement of Birla's election as the speaker, PM Modi went to the front benches where the Kota MP was seated. Soon Gandhi also joined Modi. After shaking hands with Birla, Rahul extended a handshake to the prime minister which Modi reciprocated.

Gandhi had in 2018 also hugged PM Modi in Parliament.

Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, the newly-elected MP from Srinagar, urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to ensure the sanctity of the House by restraining members from making disparaging remarks or rushing legislations like the abrogation of Article 370.

In his two-minute inaugural address after Birla was elected Speaker, the National Conference member made a passionate appeal and emphasised, "I would request you that from today you are neither BJP nor Congress or Samajwadi, and you have only one party, and that is the Constitution of India." He expressed hope that the Speaker would uphold the Constitution and lead the house as a beacon of democracy.

Mehdi cryptically alluded to the Speaker's legacy, stating that his actions in handling both the government and opposition voices would define his tenure.

AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi said that the ruing BJP will not be able to "steamroll" the opposition as the character of the House has changed in new Lok Sabha.

Congratulating Om Birla on being elected Speaker for the second term, he said the smaller parties should be heard in the House as they too represent the people. "You are the custodian of the House. The reality is that the majority enjoys the numerical strength but it does not have the strength per se. Here the opposition also has the support of the people. I urge you to give chance to smaller parties also... The character of this House has changed. The BJP will not be able to steamroll," Owaisi said.

After Om Birla was elected as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh clarified that the opposition has not asked for division of votes as a constructive step from their end.

After which the house echoed with 'Ayes' and 'Noes' and the pro-tem speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab declared Om Birla as the Speaker of the lower house. Speaking to ANI at the parliament premises Jairam Ramesh said, "I am telling you formally, we didn't ask for division of votes. We didn't ask for it because we found it appropriate that there be a consensus on the first day, that there be an atmosphere of consensus on the first day. This was a constructive step from our end. We could have asked for division (of votes)."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday appreciated Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for making a statement about Emergency in the House, saying that “it was important for today’s youth to know what happens when the Constitution is trampled over.”

“I am glad that the Honourable Speaker strongly condemned the Emergency, highlighted the excesses committed during that time and also mentioned the manner in which democracy was strangled. It was also a wonderful gesture to stand in silence in honour of all those who suffered during those days,” he said.

The Emergency was imposed 50 years ago but it is important for today's youth to know about it because it remains a fitting example of what happens when the Constitution is trampled over, public opinion is stifled and institutions are destroyed. The happenings during the Emergency exemplified what a dictatorship looks like,” he wrote in a post on X.

"It is strange that the Congress party is showing the Constitution in Parliament and has forgot its own history that 50 years ago, the Congress party, for power, and Indira Gandhi, for her political selfishness, had murdered the democracy and imposed Emergency in India. Congress should apologise for Emergency," said BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj, as the BJP leaders staged a protest inside Parliament premises over Emergency. 

The ruling BJP-led NDA’s nominee Om Birla has been elected as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha on Wednesday by a voice vote as the House saw a rare contest for the crucial post. The three-term BJP MP from Rajasthan’s Kota, Birla was also the Speaker of the previous House.

Before being elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time from Kota in 2014, Birla was elected to the Rajasthan Assembly thrice. It had been a long wait for Birla, who cut his teeth as a politician in the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the BJP’s youth wing. He first had to wait for a chance to get a party ticket in an Assembly election at a time when senior leaders like Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi and Raghuvir Singh Kaushal called the shots in the Harauti region of Rajasthan. And Birla was not among their favourites.

Click here to read his full profile

BJP leaders stage protest inside Parliament premises over Emergency. The Lok Sabha has been adjourned after there was an uproar in the House following Speaker Om Birla's statement on Emergency. 

There was an uproar in the Lok Sabha after Speaker Om Birla read out a statement on Emergency which was imposed in 1975, stating that it was a "dark chapter in the history of India."

"This House strongly condemns the decision to impose Emergency in 1975. Along with this, we appreciate the determination of all those people who opposed the Emergency, fought and fulfilled the responsibility of protecting the democracy of India. 25th June 1975 will always be known as a black chapter in the history of India," he said. 

"On this day, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in the country and attacked the Constitution made by Baba Saheb Ambedkar. India is known all over the world as the mother of democracy. Democratic values ??and debate have always been supported in India. Democratic values ??have always been protected, they have always been encouraged. Dictatorship was imposed on such an India by Indira Gandhi. The democratic values ??of India were crushed and freedom of expression was strangled," he said further. 

There was sloganeering in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday after Speaker Om Birla read out a statement on the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975. “Dictatorship was imposed in the country by Indira Gandhi. The democratic values ??of India were crushed and freedom of expression was strangled,” he said. The House has been adjourned and will meet again tomorrow, June 27.

In his first address to the Lok Sabha after getting elected as the Speaker, BJP MP Om Birla on Wednesday said that he would follow the Parliamentary decorum and he hoped that no deadlocks but meaningful discussions would take place in upcoming Lok Sabha sessions.

“We come to this House after getting elected from different parts of the country and people have a lot of expectations from us. Therefore I believe that there should be no deadlock in the house. Discussion should be held, and views and criticism should be expressed. But there should be no deadlock in the House,” he asserted.

Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay congratulated Om Birla on his re-election as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and expressed hope for his impartiality towards the opposition.

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

He criticized the suspension of opposition MPs in the 17th Lok Sabha as "undesirable" and highlighted concerns about bills being passed without adequate debate.

NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule congratulated Om Birla for getting elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker today and said “ it should be an effort to see that you (Birla) do not think of suspension in the next 5 years.”

“A lot has been done. In 5 years, you have done very good work. But when 150 of my colleagues were suspended, we were all saddened. So, it should be an effort to see that you do not think of suspension in the next 5 years. We are always ready for dialogues,” she said.

A total of 100 Members of Parliament (MPs) of the Lok Sabha (LS) and 46 of the Rajya Sabha (RS) were suspended during the Winter Session of the Parliament in 2023. 

"I want to congratulate Om Birla for his second term but it would be noted in history that there was a candidate against him... I want to remind the BJP that they would have to work according to the Constitution," said Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi after Birla got elected as the LS Speaker for the second time. 

-- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the Opposition would like to assist Birla in his work and that Gandhi was confident that he would allow the Opposition to speak in the House.

-- Samawadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said that the Opposition expects that their voice will not be crushed and there will be no more expulsions from the House.

-- “Suspension of members in previous Lok Sabha was undesirable", said TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay. He also sought a proper debate on bills brought before the House.

-- “I only request you to be impartial, impartial and impartial,” DMK leader T R Baalu told the Speaker.

After congratulating Om Birla for getting elected as the new Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Samawadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said that the Opposition expects that their voice will not be crushed and there will be no more expulsions from the House.

After congratulating Om Birla for getting elected as the new Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said that they would stand by all his decisions and that he expected that it wouldn't just be the opposition who would be under check

After congratulating Om Birla for being elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker for the second time, both PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi shook hands and then went on to escort Birla to the Speaker's chair. 

After congratulating Om Birla for being elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker for the second time, Congress leader Raul Gandhi asserted that even though the government may have political power but the Opposition also represents the voice of the people. 

After congratulating Om Birla for getting elected as the new Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the Opposition would like to assist him in his work and that Gandhi was confident that he would allow the Opposition to speak in the House.

“Opposition would like to assist you in your work, I am confident you will allow us to speak in House,” he said.

I congratulate you on behalf of the entire opposition and INDIA alliance, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi told Om Birla's after he was elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker. 

"The works that didn't happen during 70 years of independence, were made possible by this House under your chairmanship. Several milestones come in the long journey of democracy. A few occasions are such when we receive the opportunity to establish milestones. I am very confident that the country will be proud of the achievements of the 17th Lok Sabha," PM Modi told Om Birla after he got elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker. 

"I congratulate you on behalf of the entire House and look forward to your guidance for next five years. It is a matter of honour that you have been elected to this chair for second time," said PM Modi as he congratulated Om Birla for getting elected as the LSpeaker of the 18th Lok Sabha. 

PM Modi also complemented Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today, saying that “his sweet smile keeps the entire House happy.”

Birla was elected as the Speaker for the second consecutive time.

Prime Minister Modi congratulated Om Birla for being elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker for the second time today. He said that Birla's work as parliamentarian should be inspiration for new Lok Sabha members.

BJP nominee Om Birla has been elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker once again. The election was done by a voice vote in the lower house of the Parliament. 

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Ganpat Sawant, Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadauria, and NCP (SCP) MP Supriya Sule have moved the motion that K Suresh be chosen as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha. 

The TMC is likely to support the candidature of Kodikunil Suresh for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker during the election on Wednesday, sources close to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told The Indian Express.

Sources said the decision was taken after a late-night discussion between Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee. This conversation, sources said, took place following a meeting held by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge with INDIA bloc members.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha Speaker election, Congress MP K C Venugopal remarked that while the Prime Minister talks about working in cooperation and consensus, it is not being followed in spirit.

"We want a unanimous choice. We waited for government's decision. Outside, the PM is saying that they want cooperation from the government, but in spirit it is not happening. The opposition wants to give a message," he said. 

Ahead of the Speaker Election in the Lok Sabha, BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai said that the post was above party lines and that it was unfortunate that the Opposition parties were trying to politicise the Speaker’s post.

"Normally the Speaker is not contested but this time the Opposition is breaking all the conventions. The Speaker is above the party lines but they want to politicise the Speaker's post as well. It is very unfortunate,” he said.

Ahead of the election for the post of Lok Sabha speaker, Union Minister Chirag Paswan said that the NDA was confident of a victory and although they were ready for a discussion on the post of Deputy Speaker, the Opposition tried to put up conditions before them.

"We are 100% confident (about our victory). There will be a rise in the number of votes as well when Om Birla wins this election. We were ready for discussions on the post of Deputy Speaker. Rajnath Singh was having discussions with them in front of us but the way the Opposition tried to put conditions on this was not right,” he said.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Wednesday said that INDIA candidate K Suresh would be an ideal person to lead the Parliament. He also accused PM Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah of not respecting set conventions.

"There are some traditions to be followed. We were hopeful that Opposition parties would be respected... But PM Modi and HM Amit Shah rejected the tradition... The INDIA Alliance has put the senior most 8-time MP, a Dalit leader to be the Parliamentary Speaker candidate. K Suresh would be an ideal person to lead the Parliament..."

NDA candidate for Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla offers prayers at his residence ahead of the Speaker election today. 

#WATCH | Delhi: NDA candidate for Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla offers prayers at his residence.

The election for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker will take place today. pic.twitter.com/At80kjnz2U

— ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2024

Ahead of the election for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker today, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said: “We all are colleagues in the House and we have to work together. When we give an offer to them (Opposition), we expect that the offer is accepted gracefully but that has not been done. We will appeal to them again. There is a simple thing to elect the Speaker unanimously. We do not believe in making preconditions for the post of Speaker. Let us concentrate and elect the Speaker and then we can discuss the other issues later..."

After the Trinamool Congress declined to sign K Suresh’s nomination papers on Tuesday, citing a lack of prior consultation, the INDIA bloc candidate claimed today that following a meeting with TMC leaders Derek O’Brien and Kalyan Banerjee, the party has agreed to cooperate with them.

But the TMC is yet to make an official statement regarding the same. 

Today in the Lok Sabha agenda, MPs who haven't yet taken the oath will sign the roll of members.

Prime Minister Modi will then propose Om Birla as the Speaker, with Rajnath Singh seconding the motion.

Following that, MPs including Lallan Singh, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Amit Shah, Chirag Paswan, Jadhav Pratap Rao Ganpatrao, HD Kumaraswamy, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Indra hand Subba, Anupriya Patel, Virendra Kumar, SP Singh Baghel and Annpurna Devi will also move to elect Birla as the Speaker in what is expected to be a contentious session.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Ganpat Sawant, Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadauria, and NCP (SCP) MP Supriya Sule will move the motion that K Suresh be chosen as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha. MPs

BJP Spokesperson CR Kesavan hit out at the Congress over the Speaker election scheduled to happen today. He said that the grand old party "made K Suresh a scapegoat to stand in election which they are certain to lose."

"The Congress Party and the INDI alliance will face their first humiliating defeat in the long list of defeats to follow in the 18th Lok Sabha. It has become very clear now that the party has forced an election for Speaker to sacrifice K Suresh at the alter of Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. They made K Suresh a scapegoat to stand in election which they are certain to lose because they wanted to pave way to make Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition. the Congress has been repeatedly dishonouring established democratic norms, disrespecting and defaming Constitutional institutions and disrespecting conventions."

After the Trinamool Congress didn’t sign K Suresh’s nomination papers on Tuesday, citing lack of prior consultation, the INDIA bloc candidate today informed that after a meeting done with TMC leaders Derek O'Brien and Kalyan Banerjee, the party has agreed to cooperate with them.

'Everything cleared up yesterday evening. Their leaders - Derek O'Brien and Kalyan Banerjee - attended the INDIA Alliance meeting last evening at Mallikarjun Kharge's residence. We explained the situation, they could understand the situation and they will also cooperate with us,” he said, speaking to news agency ANI.

'Number is not an issue but the only thing is the convention - the ruling party, the NDA has broken the convention. That is why, we are fighting (the election),' he said further. 

With the Opposition’s increased strength in Lok Sabha, its members are hoping to get the post of Deputy Speaker. There was no Deputy Speaker for the entire duration of the 17th Lok Sabha (2019-24). M Thambi Durai of the AIADMK, a BJP ally at the time, was Deputy Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-19).

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday that the Opposition was willing to support the NDA’s candidate for Speaker provided the government followed parliamentary convention and gave the Deputy Speaker’s post to the Opposition.

Parliament is headed for a rare election to the Speaker’s post after talks between the government and the Opposition on the issue failed. While the Narendra Modi government has renominated Kota MP Om Birla, the Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha, the Opposition has decided to field K Suresh, the eight-time MP from Mavelikkara in Kerala.

A look at three previous instances where an election was held to elect the Speaker:

'We did not want to force a contest. It is the government’s irresponsible attitude that has created this situation'

In an interview with The Indian Express, INDIA bloc's candidate for the Speaker's post K Suresh speaks about the Opposition’s decision to have a contest for the Speaker’s post rather than choose a consensus candidate, and how the move is linked to the Opposition’s play for the Deputy Speaker’s post.

What prompted you to contest for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker?

We did not want to force a contest. It is the government’s irresponsible attitude that has created this situation. We have been saying for some days that the government should follow convention and give the post of Deputy Speaker to the Opposition. They did not give the post to the Opposition both in 2014 and 2019 on the technical ground that there was no Opposition party with the requisite numbers to claim the Leader of Opposition post. But the situation is different now.

Read the full interview here

• It is expected that Birla would to win the election with the NDA’s majority of 293 MPs in the 542-member House.
• The BJP-led alliance is also negotiating with allies like YSRCP (4 MPs) and Akali Dal’s Harsimrat Kaur.
• The INDIA bloc faced a setback when Trinamool Congress didn’t sign Suresh’s nomination papers, citing lack of prior consultation.
• The Congress is working to persuade the TMC and secure support from other INDIA parties and three Independents, totalling 231 in strength, including the TMC.

After the Opposition declaring their candidate for the Speaker's post, Union ministers Piyush Goyal of the BJP and Lalan Singh of the JD(U) accused them of resorting to pressure politics. They said the Opposition was putting forth preconditions despite senior ministers' assurance that its demand would be considered when the time to pick the Deputy Speaker comes."There can be no pressure politics," Union minister and JD(U) leader Lalan Singh told reporters, while Goyal said democracy cannot be run on preconditions.

The opposition's decision to contest arose when senior BJP leaders refused their precondition: offering the INDIA bloc the Deputy Speaker's post in exchange for supporting Om Birla, the NDA candidate. 

An interaction involving Congress leader K C Venugopal and DMK's T R Baalu from the opposition, along with Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and BJP president J P Nadda in Singh's Parliament office aimed at consensus-building ended in acrimony. Both sides maintained their positions.

Following the meeting, Venugopal accused the government of disregarding the "convention" of offering the Deputy Speaker position to an opposition candidate and declared their decision to field a candidate against Birla.

Om Birla is a three-time former Rajasthan MLA and currently an MP from Kota, who has risen through the ranks in the BJP. K Suresh is an eight-term MP from Kerala and hails from the Dalit community. 

If elected, Birla would be the fifth Speaker to serve beyond one Lok Sabha tenure. Balram Jakhar, a Congress leader, remains the sole presiding officer to complete terms spanning the seventh and eighth Lok Sabha.

It’s going to be BJP’s Om Birla vs Congress’ K Suresh for the Lok Sabha Speaker’s post today after the government and Opposition failed to reach a breakthrough Tuesday.

The INDIA bloc, demanding a commitment from the government to choose a Deputy Speaker from the Opposition, went ahead and announced its candidate for Speaker after the government pushed back on the issue.