Birla should emerge as best Speaker in Commonwealth: Congress leader

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday said that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla should emerge as the best speaker in the Commonwealth.

Chowdhury made the remarks as opposition members were demanding the withdrawal of the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019 which was later introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman.

Opposition members accused the government of rushing through the bill and Trinamool Congress member Saugata Roy said that at this pace, no bill will be left for the next session.

The Speaker, whose efforts to give opportunities to members have been praised by members across the political spectrum in the past, said that there is talk in the entire country about how the House was functioning in the first session of 17th Lok Sabha.

He said the House was running with the cooperation of all members and 130 crore people of the country were thinking in a positive way about how MPs attend debates in parliament. "This good message should go, I want to thank you especially for this," he said.

Chowdhury, who is the leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, responded by saying that the opposition keeps all its issues before the Speaker. He also urged the Speaker to keep listening to the opposition.

"You have a very important role and that is why we put every issue before you. You keep listening to our demands and the House will run smoothly. We want that you emerge as the best Speaker in Commonwealth countries," he said.

The Lok Sabha has sat up late for several days providing members the opportunity to raise their issues and take part in debates.