Om Birla, a three-time BJP MP, was re-elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker for a second term on Wednesday. He won against the INDIA bloc’s candidate, Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh, through a voice vote on June 26.
This re-election places Birla among a select group of MPs who have served as Lok Sabha Speaker for more than one term. Initially elected as Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha in 2019 through unanimous support, Birla now becomes the first presiding officer to be re-elected in two decades.
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After his re-election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his praise highlighted the Speaker’s crucial role in meeting the lower house’s expectations. It is a matter of honour that you have been elected to this chair for the second time. I congratulate you on behalf of the entire House and look forward to your guidance for the next five years. Your sweet smile keeps the entire House happy,” he said.
Om Birla’s rise and rise in politics
Born in 1962 to a third-generation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) family, Birla has shown keen political interest since his student days. In 1979, he became president of the students’ union at Government Senior Secondary School in Gumanpura, Kota.
Birla served as Kota district president of the BJP’s youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), from 1987 to 1991. He was the Rajasthan president of BJYM from 1993 to 1997. He was later appointed national vice president of the BJYM when JP Nadda was the chief of the saffron party’s youth wing.
Birla grew close to Venkaiah Naidu during Naidu’s term as BJP national president from 2002-04. A Rajasthan BJP leader told ThePrint that Birla was supported by Naidu and party treasurer Ramdas Agarwal, maintaining his relationship with the national leadership by hosting senior party leaders visiting Kota or other parts of Rajasthan.
The 61-year-old has also actively participated in protests. In 1978, as a member of the RSS’s student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Birla protested against unemployment in Kota, even coming before the car of Bhanwar Lal Sharma, a minister in the Janata Party government of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. He was also part of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, noted Indian Express. Birla is married to Dr. Amita Birla and has two daughters.
The Vasundhara Raje connection
Birla’s political rise began after Vasundhara Raje became Rajasthan BJP president. In 2003, she fielded Birla from the Kota Assembly constituency against Congress’ Shanti Dhariwal. Birla won and earned the title of a giant killer. Raje, who became Rajasthan chief minister that year, appointed Birla as parliamentary secretary, but they later had a falling out, reported ThePrint.
His social work, including providing free food, clothes, and footwear to the needy, running a medicine bank, and a school for illiterate women, gained him points with the BJP’s Delhi leadership. His Gujarat link and experience helped him build a good relationship with Modi and Shah. He was chairman of the Rajasthan State Cooperative Consumer Federation, vice chairman of the National Cooperative Consumer Federation, and director of Coal India.
In 2001, Birla was involved in relief work in Bhuj, Gujarat, after a devastating earthquake. His acquaintance with PM Modi helped him secure a ticket to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Since then, he has been representing the Kota Lok Sabha seat.
According to Birla’s official website, he introduced several new measures in the Lower House, including going paperless, during his tenure as presiding officer of the 17th Lok Sabha. He also endorsed the use of Hindi during parliamentary proceedings.
However, Birla’s tenure saw controversy, with accusations of him supporting the government line and cracking down on Opposition leaders. His tenure saw the highest number of MP suspensions in a single session, with 100 Lok Sabha MPs suspended between December 14 and 21 last year, and another 46 MPs from the Rajya Sabha.
