As soon as Om Birla was elected as Speaker of Lok Sabha, he read out a resolution on the 1975 Emergency, triggering huge protests by the Opposition. The resolution said the Congress had crushed the spirit of the Constitution and dictatorship had been imposed in 1975.
“The Emergency is a black spot in history. The aim of these amendments made by the Congress government was to bring all the powers to one person, to control the judiciary, and to destroy the basic principles of the Constitution. By doing this, the rights of citizens were suppressed and the principles of democracy attacked,” Mr. Birla said, reading out the resolution.
“[T]he then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi also talked about committed bureaucracy and committed judiciary, which is an example of her anti-democratic attitude,” he said.
Amid sloganeering by Opposition members, the House was adjourned for the day after observing a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Emergency.
In keeping with parliamentary tradition, newly appointed Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi walked across the aisle to congratulate Mr. Birla, shook hands with Mr. Modi and escorted the Speaker to his Chair along with the Prime Minister and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. Mr. Gandhi, however, stressed the importance of “impartiality” from the Speaker’s chair.
He noted that “the idea that you can run the House efficiently by silencing the voice of the Opposition is a non-democratic idea”.
The end of the day’s Lok Sabha’s proceedings was in stark contrast to the mood of the House at the beginning of the day.
Though the Opposition INDIA bloc nominated Mr. Suresh to contest the election for the Speaker’s post, it did not ask for any division of votes, prompting pro tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab to announce that Mr. Birla was elected by a voice vote.Jairam Ramesh asserted that the party did not seek a division for the sake of “creating an atmosphere of consensus”.
The Lower House’s proceedings began with Mr. Modi moving a motion to elect Mr. Birla as the Speaker. All partners of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) also moved identical proposals in favour of Mr. Birla to convey a message of unity. Similarly, the proposal for Mr. Suresh was moved by the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Arvind Sawant, and was supported by Congress leaders and their allies.
Once Mr. Birla assumed his Chair, the Prime Minister praised him for ensuring that the Lok Sabha functioned even during the COVID-19 period and for maintaining the dignity and decorum of the House, at times by taking difficult decisions.
“Speaker Sir, the question is not how efficiently the House is run, the question is how much of India’s voice is being allowed to be heard in this House,” Mr. Gandhi said, speaking after Mr. Modi. “The Opposition would like to assist you in your work. I am confident you will allow us to speak in the House,” he added. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav hoped that MPs would not be suspended under the new Speaker’s watch, saying that this hurt the dignity of the House.