Leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Wednesday urged newly elected House Speaker Om Birla to be impartial and give enough opportunities to the opposition to raise matters of public concerns.
Chowdhury, who was appointed to the post on Tuesday, decried raising of religious slogans in the House during oath-taking of members on Tuesday, saying there was a need to strengthen the social fabric of the society.
Reciting a stanza, Chowdhury said, "When a Muslim cleric will see Lord Ram in a mosque and when a Hindu priest will see Allah in a temple, then the world will change. (Jab Mullah ko Masjid main Ram Nazar aaye, Jab Pujari ko Mandir main Rahman Nazar aaye, Duniya ki surat badal jayegi, jab insan ko insan main insan nazar aaye)."
Quoting India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, he said the House represents the freedom of the nation and hence the dignity of the Chair has to be "well maintained by you."