 "Parliament session Day 2: NDA to announce Speaker, 281 MPs to be sworn in")
Amid debates and accusations between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the INDIA bloc over the imposition of Emergency and the NEET-UG row, the 18th Lok Sabha commenced on Monday (June 24).
On the first day, 262 newly-elected MPs, including the Prime Minister, took their oaths. Meanwhile, opposition MPs from the INDIA bloc staged a protest within the Parliament complex, voicing their commitment to ‘saving democracy’ and brandishing copies of the Constitution.
Amid the parliamentary oath-taking ceremony, the session was overshadowed by recent controversies, including the NEET medical exam issues, the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam, recent terror attacks in Kashmir, a train accident in West Bengal, and the hooch tragedy in Tamil Nadu.
On the second day of the Lok Sabha session, the notable event will be the selection of the LS Speaker, with several candidates in the fray. The Opposition has indicated that it won’t field a candidate for Lok Sabha Speaker post after a consensus reached with BJP-led NDA. Meanwhile, it plans to confront the government on the recent controversies, as well as issues of unemployment, rising prices, and economic inequalities during the second day of the Lok Sabha session.
What’s on the agenda for Day 2 of Parliament session?
On the agenda for the second day of the session is the selection of the new Speaker of the House. By noon, the next Speaker will be decided. Given the support from NDA allies, it is expected that the Speaker will be a nominee from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
While several candidates are currently under consideration, the leading candidate is Om Birla, an MP from Kota, Rajasthan, who served as the Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha. Other potential candidates include Andhra Pradesh BJP President D. Purandeswari, senior BJP leader Radha Mohan Singh, and the current pro-tem Speaker, Bhartruhari Mahtab.
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Additionally, following the swearing-in of 262 newly elected Members of Parliament, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, the 18th Lok Sabha session will continue today with the remaining 281 MPs set to take their oaths. Notable leaders expected to be sworn in today include Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Mahua Moitra, Supriya Sule, and Kanimozhi.
Ruckus over pro-tem Speaker on Day 1
During the session’s first day, some notable MPs from the INDIA bloc declined to assist the pro-tem Speaker. Congress member K Suresh, a prominent candidate for the pro-tem Speaker role, along with DMK MP T R Baalu and TMC’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay, did not take their oaths when called to assist. Suresh later took his oath, but the opposition criticized the appointment of Mahtab as the pro-tem Speaker.
They argued that K Suresh, an eight-term MP and Dalit leader, was unjustly overlooked. The Congress contended that this appointment deviates from the tradition of selecting the senior-most MP for the pro-tem Speaker position.
CPI(M) MP arrives in tractor
In an unusual move, CPI(M) MP Amra Ram arrived at Parliament on a tractor, symbolising solidarity with farmers. Ram, a farmer leader from Sikar, was halted near the Parliament gate by police and had to proceed on foot. He remarked on the restrictions faced by farmers during their prolonged protests on Delhi’s borders, highlighting the resistance they encountered in bringing their tractors into the city.
PM Modi invokes Emergency memory
Addressing the Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked the memory of the Emergency imposed by former PM Indira Gandhi, stating that the current generation should never forget the period when the country was ‘turned into a prison’.
He emphasised the importance of a vibrant democracy to prevent such events from recurring.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge responded on social media, accusing Modi of ignoring the “last 10 years of Undeclared Emergency” and emphasising that it was the people’s will that ended it.