Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended the inaugural ceremony of the special train between Kota and Delhi from Kota Railway Station
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, fulfilling a promise he had made six years ago, attended the wedding ceremony of a Pulwama martyr's daughter in Rajasthan's Kota, assuming the role of a brother to the bride's mother. Birla, who is also the MP from Kota-Bundi, attended the wedding in Sangod village on Friday evening and performed the traditional wedding ritual of Bhaat or Maira. State Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar also accompanied Birla at the ceremony. Birla fulfilled a commitment he had made six years ago by presenting customary gifts to 25-year-old Reena Meena, daughter of the late Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldier Hemraj, who was martyred in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. In the Hindu wedding tradition, Bhaat or Maira is a ritual where a brother offers gifts to his sister on the occasion of her daughter's wedding. Birla and Nagar offered a ceremonial 'odhani' and other gifts to the late jawan's wife, Madhubala, who in return adorned them with a traditional tilak and ...
Sonia Gandhi's remarks did not sit well with the BJP and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who also chided her
Opposition leaders voiced their concerns in their letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker regarding what they described as the government's increasing disregard for parliamentary procedures & democratic norms
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed he is "never allowed" to speak in Parliament, as a host of INDIA bloc leaders met Speaker Om Birla to raise the issue of the Congress leader being denied the opportunity to speak in the House the previous day. "I am never allowed to speak brother...I don't know what they are scared of," Gandhi told reporters on the Parliament complex on Thursday when asked about his allegations the House was being run "non-democratically". His latest charge come on a day several opposition leaders met Speaker Birla over Gandhi being denied the opportunity to speak in the House on Wednesday. They also flagged an alleged "politicisation" of the institution of Speaker. Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said an INDIA bloc delegation comprising leaders from the Congress, SP, TMC, DMK, Kerala Congress, RJD, IUML, RLP and the MDMK, met the Speaker during Zero Hour. "We have given a letter, which was signed by many .
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that he was not being given a chance to speak and the House was being run in an "undemocratic manner". His remarks came after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asked him to follow the rules of procedure that members are expected to observe to uphold the dignity of the House. It was not immediately clear what was the reason for the Speaker to make the observation. Gandhi said the Speaker made remarks about him and then adjourned the House without giving him an opportunity to speak. He said that in the last week he had not been allowed to speak. About 70 Congress Lok Sabha MPs, including deputy leader of Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, party general secretary KC Venugopal and party's whip in the Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore, met the Lok Sabha speaker and raised the "denial" of opportunity to Gandhi to speak in the House, party sources said.
On International Women's Day, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla underscored the pivotal role of women in India's progress, emphasising their leadership across governance, science, defense, education, and entrepreneurship. Speaking at an event in the Parliament House Complex, he lauded the increasing presence of women in decision-making roles and reiterated that India is entering a new era where women are driving change from grassroots democracy to national governance. Highlighting the contributions of pioneering women in India's democratic framework, Birla paid tributes to the 15 women members of the Constituent Assembly, whose vision, he said, continues to inspire future generations. As the nation marks 75 years of the Constitution, he emphasised the importance of recognising their efforts in laying the foundation for gender equality and inclusive governance. He also reflected on India's deep-rooted tradition of revering women, citing their resilience and strength as key pillars of ...
Speaker to send the bill for examination to a select committee of house members
Translation services were available in 10 languages including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu, in addition to Hindi and English
Lok Sabha on Monday witnessed prolonged noisy protests by opposition parties demanding a discussion on the recent stampede at Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj and a list of those deceased. When the House met for the first time after the President's address to the joint sitting and presentation of the 2025-26 budget, the opposition MPs led by the Congress were on their feet and demanded a discussion on the recent tragedy in Maha Kumbh. Soon the opposition members stormed the Well of the House resorting to noisy protests and sloganeering. Led by deputy leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and Congress general secretary K C Venugopal, the opposition members also sought suspension of the Question Hour and demanded a discussion on the stampede. Opposition members were raising slogans such as "Sanatan virodhi sarkar istifa do (step down anti-sanatan government). Speaker Om Birla warned members against thumping tables as a mark of protest, saying people send their representatives to ask .
As soon as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman began her Budget speech, Akhilesh Yadav and his party MPs started raising slogans
Amid disruptions in Parliament and state legislatures, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday urged political parties to devise a code of conduct for their lawmakers to uphold the dignity of their respective Houses. The two-day 85th All India Presiding Officers' Conference also adopted a five-point resolution that included a collective resolve to take steps to ensure "disruption-free" debate and discussion in their respective legislatures. The presiding officers agreed to deploy technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to bring legislative bodies closer to the people by making available debates in the local and two additional languages, Birla said. The presiding officers voiced concern over the decline in the number of sittings of state legislatures and agreed to implement the resolutions of previous meetings. "In an earlier meeting of the presiding officers, we had resolved that the state legislatures would hold at least 60 sittings in a calendar year. We h
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the 85th All India Presiding Officers' Conference (AIPOC) in Patna on Monday. The two-day conference is being held on '75th Anniversary of Constitution: Contribution of Parliament and State legislative bodies in strengthening constitutional values'. In the conference, the delegates will deliberate on the adoption of modern technologies in legislative bodies for greater efficiency, effectiveness and productivity, officials said. Bihar Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav said this was the third time the state was hosting the programme after a gap of 43 years. "The land of Bihar is considered to be the centre of cultural, historical and intellectual heritage of India. This land has given birth to the compassion of Lord Buddha, the non-violence of Mahavira and the courage of Guru Govind Singh. This is the land from where Chanakya started the principles politics and emperor Ashoka gave the message of morality in governance," he said, adding that th
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday made a strong pitch for the use of artificial intelligence and social media in the working of parliaments. Birla made these remarks while chairing the standing committee meeting of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of Parliaments of Commonwealth Countries (CSPOC) in Guernsey. India is hosting the 28th CSPOC next year. Birla said India is witnessing massive transformation in several sectors, such as agriculture, fintech, AI, and research and innovation. He said delegates attending the CSPOC would experience a unique blend of heritage and progress of the country. Last year, the Lok Sabha adopted artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to enhance the accessibility of parliamentary proceedings to lawmakers. These cutting-edge technologies are used to provide regional language translations for Members of Parliament and make available parliamentary papers in different languages. Birla highlighted the impo
There is a strong belief in India's democratic values and growth story here, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said in London during his ongoing visit to the UK. Addressing a community gathering at the High Commission of India in London on Wednesday evening, Birla shared insights from his dialogues with his UK counterpart House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and other members of Parliament. He noted that his interactions highlighted the strength of the India-UK parliamentary cooperation and the multifaceted nature of the bilateral partnership across multiple sectors. I had a good dialogue with leading UK parliamentarians and they displayed a strong belief in India's democratic values and growth story, Birla said. Our electoral process is transparent, which has helped reinforce a belief in democracy around the world. We take pride as the largest democracy of the world, dubbed the mother of democracy', and I extend an invitation to come visit India's new Parliament as we mark 75 year
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday asked women representatives from Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation in order to make their areas more "people-oriented". Speaking at the 'Panchayat se Parliament 2.0' programme, Birla stressed the importance of technological advancements to drive sustainable development and improve governance at the grassroots level. The event, held at the historic Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, was organized by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE) in collaboration with the National Commission for Women and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. More than 500 women PRI representatives from 22 states and Union territories participated, with the gathering serving as a platform for reaffirming India's commitment to women-led development and grassroots empowerment. In his address, Birla underscored the transformative power of women leadership in strengthening India's democracy, ...
Benegal, a pivotal figure in Indian cinema, passed away on Monday at the age of 90 at Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai Central
After political protests turned ugly, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday banned demonstrations by MPs and political parties at any of the gates of Parliament, sources said. "Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has issued strict instructions that no political party, Member of Parliament or groups of members will hold any dharna and demonstration at building gates of Parliament House," parliament sources said. The instructions came on a day when Parliament premises saw rival protests by the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA bloc parties on the alleged insults to B R Ambedkar which soon turned into jostling and scuffles leaving two MPs injured and a woman MP claiming intimidation by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday said that Hindi was India's soul and identity and along with other languages has played a significant role in the development of society and the nation. Addressing the 30th Annual Convention of the Etawah Hindi Seva Nidhi, Birla said that Hindi has woven the country's cultural diversity into a single thread and empowered it. He said that Hindi was not only a common language of communication but has adapted according to the changing technical landscape. "Today, with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the rich legacy of Hindi literature and poetry is available across the globe," he said, adding that Hindi has also been increasingly used in the fields of justice, administration and internet technology. Birla said that during the making of India's Constitution, the visionary leaders from various states, speaking different languages and dialects, recognized the importance of languages as symbols of unity and acknowledged Hindi's inherent potent