18th Lok Sabha convenes on Monday: House test for govt amid exam row

It's rare for a special session to begin on a fractious note with NDA, Oppn bloc engaged in war of words over appointment of pro-tem Speaker. Archis Mohan writes

New Parliament, 18th lok sabha, rajya sabha

6 min read Last Updated : Jun 23 2024 | 10:47 PM IST

The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will begin on Monday amid the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) accusing the Opposition INDIA bloc of “insulting the people’s mandate” by questioning its choice of pro-tem Speaker. The Opposition hit back, alleging that the government “flouted parliamentary norms” by picking a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member and overlooking the claim of the senior-most Lok Sabha member, who happens to be a Congress member.

It is rare for a special session, devoted chiefly to administering oath or affirmation to the newly elected Lok Sabha members, electing the Speaker, and discussing the President’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament, to have begun on such a fractious note.

“In a parliamentary democracy, ‘solemn occasions’ (such as the special session) demand courteous expressions and dignified conduct. None should insult the people’s mandate,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Saturday. Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said the manner in which the government has picked the Speaker pro-tem or relocated the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar on the premises of Parliament are all “signals” that the “bulldozing tactics” of the ruling party would continue, “which are now going to be met with a counter bulldozer” since the Opposition now has nearly matching numbers.

During the special session, from June 24 to July 3 for the Lok Sabha and from June 27 to July 3 for the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition INDIA bloc is set to flag several issues, including the government’s choice of BJP’s Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro tem Speaker over Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh. The Congress and others said Suresh was the automatic choice since he is currently in his eighth term, making him the senior-most. The BJP said Mahtab’s seven terms were uninterrupted, unlike Suresh’s.

The ruling coalition and Opposition’s ties have turned bitter enough for the INDIA bloc to allege that Suresh was not picked because he is a Dalit, and the BJP said the Congress and others were insulting Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju because he is a tribal. “I may be the first tribal to occupy the post of the parliamentary affairs minister, but I won’t be intimidated by the threats and lies of the Congress,” Rijiju posted on X on Saturday.

The President has appointed Suresh (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK), Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste (both BJP), and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (TMC) to assist Mahtab in administering the oath/affirmation to the Lok Sabha members. An Opposition leader said on Sunday that Suresh, Baalu, and Bandyopadhyay will not perform their duties to protest the government’s decision to ignore Suresh’s claim to be the pro tem Speaker. On Sunday, Rijiju said he met TMC’s Bandyopadhyay, “known for his calm and dignified conduct in Parliament.”

While there were indications that the controversy over the selection of the pro tem Speaker was likely to be overcome, the Opposition plans to flag several other issues during the session. It will demand deferring the rollout of the three penal laws—the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, Bharatiya Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam—which will replace the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act.

The new laws will come into force from July 1.

On Sunday, Trinamool Congress’ Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien said his party and the rest of the INDIA bloc will flag issues related to price rise, employment, the alleged leakages of exam papers, such as the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, and postponements of other examinations. He said his party will also raise Bengal-specific issues, such as the Centre “depriving” Bengal of its fair share of funds for the PM Awas Yojana and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

The TMC also alleged that New Delhi failed to consult the West Bengal government before deciding to start negotiations with Bangladesh to renew the 1996 Ganga Water Sharing Treaty. On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, discussed various bilateral issues in the national capital, including the water-sharing treaty. “The state is a party to the treaty. Even our dues for the previous treaty still need to be cleared. Dredging of the Ganga has been stopped. It is the primary reason for floods and erosion. This is a plan to sell off Bengal,” TMC’s O’Brien alleged.

As for the first session’s schedule, President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath to Mahtab as pro tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. Mahtab will then call upon PM Modi, the Leader of the Lok Sabha, to take oath as a member of the House. He will then administer the oath to the panel of chairpersons, followed by council of ministers and members from states, in alphabetical order.

After the panel of chairpersons, the pro tem Speaker will administer the oath/affirmation as Lok Sabha members to the council of ministers. The members from states, in alphabetical order, will take oath or make affirmation over the next two days. The election to the post of Lok Sabha Speaker will take place on Wednesday, and the prime minister will introduce his council of ministers to the House soon after. The Congress, the second-largest party with 98 MPs, will also need to pick the leader of the Opposition.

The President is scheduled to address the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament on June 27. The debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address will begin on June 28. The prime minister is expected to respond to the debate on July 2 or 3. Both the Houses are expected to go into a brief recess and reassemble on July 22 for the Budget session.