Speaker selected in Lok Sabha, silence observed on Emergency

New Delhi, June 26 (HS). The Speaker for the 18th Lok Sabha was selected in the proceedings of the House today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and some other members proposed the name of Om Birla, MP from Kota, for the post of Speaker, which was approved by the House by voice vote. Arvind Sawant and some other leaders from the opposition proposed the name of K. Suresh. However, during the vote, the opposition did not demand division of votes on the name of Om Birla and he was elected by voice vote.

The Prime Minister proposed the name

The Protem Speaker conducted the election for the post of Speaker in the Lok Sabha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Jitam Ram Manjhi, Amit Shah, Jadhav Prataprao, Chirag Paswan, Joyanta Basumatari, HD Kumaraswamy, K Rammohan Naidu, Dr. Indira Hang Subba, Anupriya Patel, Kishan Pal, Dr. Virendra Kumar, SP Singh Baghel and Anupriya Devi proposed the name of Om Birla. Arvind Sawant, Anand Bhadauria, Supriya Sule proposed the name of K. Suresh. The proposal of these members was further approved by one member each.

After being elected as the Speaker by voice vote, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju together made Om Birla sit on the Speaker's seat. Rahul Gandhi shook hands with the Prime Minister during this time. After this, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju thanked Bhartrihari Mahtab and the panel members in the role of Protem Speaker.

On being elected Speaker, the ruling and opposition leaders including Prime Minister Modi congratulated Om Birla. In his statement, the Prime Minister said that he is polite, well behaved and has a sweet smile. He is the first to become the Speaker again after Balram Jakhar. He said that to maintain the dignity of the Parliament, he has had to take tough decisions even while suffering pain many times. During Corona, he took care of all the MPs and personally enquired about their well-being.

The Prime Minister also recalled the P20 chaired by Om Birla. He said that MPs should take inspiration from him that how he has worked in his parliamentary constituency even while shouldering a big responsibility. In the last Lok Sabha under his chairmanship, big bills like Nari Vandan, Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization were passed and the productivity of the House was 97 percent.

As the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi congratulated Om Birla and said that the opposition should get an opportunity to speak. Silencing the opposition is against democracy. He is in the role of the last mediator of the Parliament and both the government and the opposition have expectations from him. The opposition also represents the people. We are in favor of cooperating and running the House. In such a situation, the voice of the opposition should also get representation.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said that he hopes that this House will move forward without any discrimination. He is expected to run the House with fairness and responsibility. He hopes that he will also keep a check on the ruling party. He wants the House to run at his behest and not the other way round.

Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandhopadhyay said that the House belongs to the opposition and its positive things should also be respected. Suspending 150 members from the House is not democracy. Many bills were passed in the last Lok Sabha, but they were only introduced and passed without discussion. This should not happen. DMK leader TR Balu congratulated Birla and said that even though he has won on the lotus symbol, he should stay away from the water like the lotus. The opposition should also get importance.

Apart from this, many MPs also expressed their views along with congratulating the House Speaker. Shiv Sena Balasaheb Thackeray MP Arvind Sawant raised the issue of the law related to the Election Commission and Manipur. Demanded justice and sensitivity. NCP Sharad Pawar leader Supriya Sule thanked Om Birla for the support he received during Covid. Referring to the support received from union ministers, she talked about resolving issues through efforts and dialogue. She said that the House should function.

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan said that the opposition demanding the post of Deputy Speaker should see whether they are doing so in the states where they have a government. He said that when we point a finger at someone, four fingers are towards us. Harsimrat Kaur Badal raised the issue of giving adequate representation to regional and small parties.

On being elected Speaker, Birla said, high standards should be established with new vision and innovative ideas-

After being elected Speaker, Om Birla thanked the 64 crore people of the country for voting and the Election Commission for the successful event. He said that the expectations and aspirations of the public are big. With collective efforts, we should establish high standards in the House with new vision and innovative ideas. This time 281 new members have been elected. They should study the rules and procedures. Birla thanked the Prime Minister for celebrating Constitution Day. He said that this House should make laws for the upliftment of the exploited and the oppressed.

Speaker Birla said that there is a difference between protesting on the road and in the House. Protest should be done with dignity. Even if we all have different ideologies, we should work keeping the country paramount. There should be positive discussion along with disagreement. He also has expectations from the government.