Om Birla re-elected as Lok Sabha speaker

Senior BJP MP Om Birla has again been re-elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker. He was elected with a voice vote, as the opposition, which had fielded Congress MP K. Suresh for the post, did not press for voting in the House.

After his election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju escorted OM Birla to the chair of the Speaker.

Earlier, when the House met this morning, Prime Minister Modi and 12 other NDA leaders moved the motion to elect OM. Birla as the Speaker.

On the opposition side, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Sawant, Supriya Sule of the NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Anand Bhadauria of the SP moved the motion in favour of Mr. Suresh.

Congratulating Mr. Birla on his election, the Prime Minister said, History is being made today with the re-election of OM Birla for the second time. He said they look forward to his guidance in the next five years in the House.

He said OM Birla’s work as a parliamentarian should be an inspiration for the new members. He said the previous Lok Sabha passed several path-breaking legislation under the leadership of OM Birla. 

He said the conduct of members and their accountability increase the faith of people in parliamentary democracy. Mr. Modi added that the previous Lok Sabha witnessed record productivity of 97 percent under the chairmanship of Mr. Birla. 

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also congratulated OM Birla, saying that this House represents the people’s voice.

He assured OM Birla of opposition support for the smooth functioning of the House. He said cooperation happens on the basis of trust, and voices of opposition should be allowed to be raised. 

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav expressed confidence that the opposition will get ample time to express their voice.Akhilesh Yadav said that impartiality is one of the key characteristics of a speaker, and he hoped that appropriate respect would be given to the Treasury bench as well as opposition members.

TMC MP Sudhip Bandhopadhya raised the issue of the suspension of opposition MPs in the 17th Lok Sabha. He said the legislation should be passed in the House with proper discussion.