The Opposition INDIA bloc on Wednesday congratulated BJP MP Om Birla for his re-election as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha for a second consecutive term. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi expressed hope that the Opposition would be allowed to voice the concerns of the people in the House.
Similarly, Akhilesh Yadav, leader of the Samajwadi Party and ally of the INDIA bloc, echoed these sentiments, claiming that the Opposition expects its voice not to be silenced.
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“I’d like to congratulate you for your successful election… I congratulate you on behalf of the entire INDIA alliance. This House represents the voice of people of India… Of course the government has political power, but the Opposition also represents the voice of India’s people,” Gandhi said.
“The Opposition would like to assist you in your work. I am confident you will allow us to speak in House,” he said.
Gandhi further pointed out that this time, the Opposition represents significantly more voices of the Indian people than last time, stressing that it is very important for the voice of Opposition to be represented in the House.
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He said he was confident the Speaker would allow them to speak and represent the voice of the Indian people. He stressed that the concern was not just about running the House efficiently but also about ensuring that India’s voice is heard.
“The idea that you can run the House efficiently by silencing the voice of opposition is a non-democratic idea. This election has shown that the people of India expect the opposition to defend the Constitution of this country and we are confident that by allowing Opposition to speak, you will do your duty of defending the Constitution of India,” the Congress MP said.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav also expressed hope for impartiality from Speaker Birla, advocating for equal opportunities for opposition leaders.
“We believe you will move forward without discrimination and as the Speaker, you will give equal opportunity and respect to every party. Impartiality is a great responsibility of this great post. You sitting here are the chief justice of the court of democracy,” Yadav said.
“We expect that the voice of no public representative will be suppressed and actions like suspensions which hurt the dignity of the House will not be taken,” he said.
Om Birla, the BJP nominee, was re-elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker on Wednesday. With the numbers favoring the ruling NDA coalition, he was set to retain the Speaker’s post.
