Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday adjourned the House till 12 noon after opposition members, mostly Congress MPs, persisted on raising their issues. When the House met at 11 am, the opposition members were on their feet trying to raise their issues. A visibly agitated Birla asked the MPs to go back to their seats and allow the House to function. "Question Hour is significant. Allow the House to function properly. But you don't want to allow the House to run. The country wants the House to run. You are disrupting the proceedings of the House," he told the protesting members and adjourned the House till 12 noon. The adjournment came within a minute of the House resuming business after the weekend break. The proceedings of the House were washed out in the first week of the winter session starting November 25 due to protests by opposition members demanding that they be allowed to raise issues like the indictment of industrialist Gautam Adani in a US court and Sambhal violence. Las
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla made a fervent appeal for order and cooperation during the winter session
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday said ministers should give up the habit of responding to members during the Question Hour till permitted by the Chair. This came after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav made a comment while Union minister Pralhad Joshi was replying to a question on solar energy and Union minister Piyush Goyal responded to the Kannauj MP. Goyal earlier served as power minister. Joshi, who holds the New and Renewable Energy portfolio, was responding to supplementaries related to Pradhan Mantri-Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PM-SGMBY). Birla said ministers should not reply to members till they are allowed by the Chair. Later, the speaker also asked members to keep their questions and answers short. He made the comments when Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia was responding to questions about BSNL. Scindia was also asked to keep his reply short. Members and ministers should keep their questions and answers crisp and to the point so that more members
Members of Parliament from both NDA and Opposition parties have expressed dissatisfaction with the Lok Sabha seating arrangement, feeling that it does not reflect their seniority or political stature
The Winter Session of Parliament, which began on Nov 25 and is set to continue until Dec 20, has faced significant disruptions due to Opposition protests
Almost the entire opposition in the Lok Sabha, including Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday staged a brief walkout from the House over the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal. As soon as the House assembled to take up the Question Hour, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav rose from his seat and raised the issue, seeking Speaker Om Birla's permission to speak on the subject. "This is a very serious matter. Five people have lost their lives," Yadav was heard saying. As the Speaker said members could raise the issue in the Zero Hour, Yadav and his party colleagues started to walk out in protest. Some SP members, meanwhile, rushed to the Well, raising slogans. While the SP members were protesting in the Well of the House, DMK member A Raja was seen exhorting other opposition members, including those from the Congress, to rise from their seats and join the SP protest. NCP and Shiv Sena-UBT members stood up in support of the Samajwadi Party MPs. Some of the
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon on Thursday amid protests by Opposition members over the Adani issue, violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal and other issues. As soon as the House met for the day, Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was elected from Kerala's Wayanad in the recent bypoll, and Ravindra Vasantrao Chavan, who was elected from Maharashtra's Nanded, took oath as Lok Sabha MPs. Immediately after the oath taking of the two new members, many Opposition members, including from the Congress, were on their feet as they sought to raise issues related to the allegations against the Adani Group and other issues. Some members from the Congress and Samajwadi Party were in the Well while other Opposition members stood in the aisle and shouted slogans. Speaker Om Birla asked the Opposition members to allow the Question Hour and said they can take up their issues later. "I have been giving you enough opportunities to raise your issues and will continue to do so
Leaders of various opposition parties of the INDIA bloc have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him to allow leaders of the opposition in both Houses to speak during the Constitution Day celebration function. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak during Tuesday's function in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan to mark the 75th anniversary of the Constituent Assembly's adoption of the Constitution. "We are writing in the context of the function being held tomorrow (Tuesday) in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India. We understand that the function will be addressed by the president, vice-president and the prime minister of India," the letter signed by leaders of various parties said. "We believe that in the best traditions and interests of Parliamentary democracy, the Leaders of Opposition (LoPs) in both Houses should also be given a
He said that no government of any party or ideology can temper the basic spirit (or structure) of the Constitution. There have been changes made in the Constitution from time to time but to cater
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday said a robust and transparent audit system helps strengthen democracy and takes the country on the path of all-round development. Addressing an 'Audit Diwas' event of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) here, he asserted that a strong and transparent audit brings fiscal discipline and monetary prudence which ensures that funds passed by Parliament for various schemes are utilised appropriately. Birla also underlined that to ensure fiscal discipline and transparency in Indian democracy, a senior member of the principal opposition party is conventionally appointed as head of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC). "This is the strength of Indian democracy," he asserted, noting that the audit report of CAG on public money spent is scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) where members from both sides share their views on paragraphs of audit reports. Addressing the gathering, Birla said enhanced transparency in the audit ushe
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday said that there is a need for bigger public participation in formulations of laws and public policies in this era of information technology. He appealed to all citizens to express their views and suggestions whenever a new law is put in public domain because the laws once implemented have a long-term impact on people, state and entire country. "Though public participation is there in formulation of laws and policies, I feel it inadequate and there is a need to enhance it," Birla said while inaugurating the KIIT School of Public Policy here. He advocated for citizen-centric policies that involve all stakeholders, ensure equal rights and are answerable to the people. Speaking to an audience of academicians, policymakers, judges and students, Birla emphasized the importance of public policy in shaping the future of the country. The public policies should be formulated in such a way that all sections of the society are equally treated, he said. Th
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said Parliament was using artificial intelligence and related technologies for record-keeping and making speeches by members and other information available to the people in their mother tongue. Addressing the concluding session of the 149th assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Birla said in a multi-lingual society like India, it is necessary to facilitate parliamentarians to speak in their preferred languages. He highlighted the imperative of using technology/AI for record-keeping, making debates and speeches, and other information available to the people to make Parliament people-friendly. He said he was happy to note that the world parliamentary fraternity had appreciated India's initiatives of a green, tech-driven and paperless Parliament. Birla also participated in the Governing Council meeting of the IPU. He said the IPU was a productive forum for advancing global commitments to inclusive growth through parliamentary ...
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday said artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies were put to use to make available House proceedings in different regional languages to members of Parliament. Addressing a press conference here after the two-day meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association India Region, Birla said the Lok Sabha Secretariat was also sharing its expertise in technology with legislatures of states and Union territories to speed up the process of digitisation. Birla said during the two-day conference, presiding officers of state legislatures from across the country also deliberated on the agenda of the upcoming 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) in Sydney from November 3-8. The CPC has short-listed eight topics including support of legislatures to promote LGBTQ+ participation, use of artificial learning (AI) in parliamentary proceedings, violence and abuse of parliamentarians, human trafficking, refugees and immigration across ..
Mentioning the strong possibilities of cooperation in technology, innovation, and investment in India, Birla opined that due to collective efforts, India has become the fifth largest economy in world
Oppn says move aims at targeting Muslims
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday said that India's youth are in demand for employment in the world. He noted that population of youth is decreasing and that of old is rising in both developing and developed countries. Birla, the MP from Kota, was speaking at an event organized by Kota Grain and Seeds Merchant Association here to felicitate and welcome him after his re-election. Birla said that during his foreign visits and meeting with his foreign counterparts, he found India's youth are in biggest demand for employment in the world. Recounting his meeting with his counterpart from Japan, Birla said, "The Speaker from Japan claimed in a meeting that he could provide employment to more than 50,000 youths in Japan and in their industries in India." He pointed out that youth population is decreasing while that of old is increasing both in developing and developed countries and that makes demand for youth from India for employment. Since knowledge of the foreign languages is ..
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday asked members to be alert during House proceedings or else, he said, they will lose the opportunity to ask supplementary questions during the Question Hour. Birla said this after Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal was unable to respond to the speaker's call on time. During the Question Hour, a question posed by Badal related to Punjab was listed in the agenda for discussion. When Birla took Badal's name for a few times, she failed to respond in time as she was apparently busy talking to a fellow member. At this, the speaker decided to move on to the next question. Soon after, the Shiromani Akali Dal MP responded and urged the speaker to allow her to raise the issue. "I have called your name thrice. But you were busy in talking. You have to be alert when your question is listed. I want to tell all Honourable members that if you don't pay attention to the proceedings, you will not get the chance to raise issues," Birla said. The spea
As Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi raised questions on the presiding officer in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Kiren Rijiju hit back at the former Congress chief, saying he has no intention to follow constitutional norms while participating in parliamentary debates. The two ministers slammed Gandhi for questioning Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's authority during a debate on the Union Budget in the House. "I condemn the manner in which the leader of opposition attacked the speaker and spoke with disregard for the rules and procedures of the House," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju said. Information and Broadcasting Minister Vaishnaw said there was a history to Gandhi's behaviour. "Rahul Gandhi had once torn an ordinance promulgated by his own party's government. I do not think he has any intention to follow constitutional norms," Vaishnaw said. He said it was unfortunate that despite holding a constitutional post, Gandhi's behaviour in the House .
On Monday, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla suggested to the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, that he should revisit the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure.
Media personnel were stopped from proceeding to the main entrance of the Parliament, the 'Makar Dwar,' on Monday. In response, they boycotted interviews with any of the MPs