Om Birla, BJP MP from Kot-Boondi in Rajasthan, was unanimously elected Lok Sabha Speaker on Wednesday and he promised in his maiden address from the chair that he would run the House in an impartial manner and “safeguard the interests of the members irrespective of the strength of their parties in the House.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed Mr. Birla’s name after he received support from almost all parties, including a rather late submission of notices supporting his candidature from even the Congress and the DMK. There was no candidate in the fray other than Mr Birla and the motion moved by the Prime Minister was adopted by a voice vote. A total of 13 motions were moved in support of Mr Birla but since the motion moved by Mr. Modi, also the Leader of the House, was adopted, the other motions became infructuous.
In his speech, Mr. Birla assured the members that they would be “heard” and that the government should respond to them. Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for running a transparent government, the Speaker said he expected the “government to be more responsible and answerable in the House”.
“I have been a member like you from 2014 to 2019. And here, we should raise the issues which matter to the last person standing in the row,” he said.
Be tough on treasury benches too: PM
The Prime Minister Modi, in his turn, spoke of his long association with Mr. Birla, as both of them worked in organisational positions in the BJP, but had special words for Mr. Birla’s philanthropic activities. “Om Birlaji’s life has been devoted to service. I cannot forget how he stayed for months in Kutch when it was affected by a devastating earthquake. In the same way, he stayed in Kedarnath during the floods there. He has also worked to ensure that people do not stay hungry in Kota,” said Mr. Modi, adding that he, “on behalf of the government and the treasury benches assure you full support in conducting the House. I also assure you that your order will prevail and you must be tough even if anyone from our side [treasury benches] crosses the limit.”
Chaudhary appeals for harmony, decorum
The newly-appointed Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary, made an eloquent appeal to the new Speaker, urging him not just to be fair in his running of the House, but also to urge the government to keep away from the “ordinance route” for legislation and referring more and more bills to standing committees for scrutiny.
Referring to sloganeering in the House during the oath-taking ceremony, Mr. Chaudhary said the House witnessed in the last two days religious slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Allahu Akbar” and such a display was unseemly. “Jab Mullah ko Masjid main Ram nazar aayein, jab pujari ko Mandir main Rahman nazar aayein, duniya ki surat badal jayegi, jab insaan ko insaan main insaan nazar aaye [When an Imam sees Rama in a mosque, when a priest sees Rahman in a temple, the face of the world will change, if we see humanity in humans],” he said, making a point on harmony.
Call to pay attention to smaller parties
Pinaki Mishra of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) said it was a proud tradition of the House that apart from a contest for the post of Speaker in the first Lok Sabha, all other presiding officers had been elected unopposed and unanimously. He also reiterated a demand made by many MPs that parliamentary scrutiny of bills by standing committees be restored to earlier levels.
Shiromani Akali Dal's Sukhbir Singh Badal and Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel suggested that the regional and smaller parties should be given adequate time during discussions.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi said the Speaker should ensure protection of separation of powers and the elected government should not become a monarch.
Sudip Bandyopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress cautioned Mr. Birla that “brute majoritarianism” sometimes affected the functioning of the House.
