Three-time MP Om Birla of the BJP has returned as Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha. The unbelievable journey started from the school parliament in Kota, Rajasthan, and then this journey took him to the post of Speaker of the Parliament of India
By Geeta Singh
NDA nominee Om Birla was elected as Speaker of the Lok Sabha for a second consecutive term by voice vote on 26th June, following days of intense battle with the opposition, which in a rare move proposed its own candidate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who moved the motion for Birla’s election as Speaker, lauded his ability to maintain the decorum of the House during his previous term. Several opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, congratulated Birla, emphasising “impartiality” and hoping he would allow them to raise the voice of the people without applying his restraint orders only to opposition benches.
Three-time MP Om Birla of the BJP has returned as Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha after defeating Kodikunnil Suresh in the election. Birla is handling this responsibility for the second time. After Balram Jakhar, Birla is the second politician to become the Speaker of the Lok Sabha for two consecutive terms.
He has been in the news since becoming the Speaker of the Lok Sabha for the second consecutive time. On Friday, June 28, when Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi stood up to speak on the issue of NEET exams in Parliament, he was heard asking the Speaker to turn the mic on. The Congress has alleged that the voice of the youth is being suppressed by turning off the mic on important issues. However, Om Birla was heard telling Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha, “I don’t turn off the mic; there is no button here.” This is not the first time that Speaker Om Birla has been at the centre of discussions related to Parliament.
As Speaker, Om Birla was involved in many discussions in the 17th Lok Sabha. During the winter session of Parliament in 2023, 141 MPs were suspended. These included 95 Lok Sabha and 46 Rajya Sabha MPs. Such a large number of MPs had never been suspended before, and the suspension was called unprecedented. The MPs were demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the ‘security lapse’ in Parliament, after which the suspension action was taken.
Previously, on March 15, 1989, 63 MPs were expelled from the Lok Sabha.
Om Birla started his journey from the school parliament in Kota, Rajasthan, and then this journey took him to the post of Speaker of the Parliament of India. Initially, he became the head of the student parliament of Gumanpura Senior Secondary School in Kota. Then Birla continued his activism and contested for the post of student union president in a local college. Despite losing by one vote, Birla persisted in his political journey. He was elected president of the Cooperative Consumer Stores Association in Kota, marking his first appearance in the public sector.
Born on 23 November 1962, Birla received his first political responsibility as the District President of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha in Kota, Rajasthan. He contested his first election in 2003 from the Kota assembly seat. He has been a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly three times and has now been elected to Parliament for the third consecutive time. He was first elected unanimously as the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha on 19 June 2019. Now, on 26 June 2024, he defeated the opposition candidate in the election for the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Throughout his career, he has held various positions in the cooperative sector, served as an MLA and MP from Kota, and held leadership roles such as National President of Yuva Morcha, State President, and District President in the BJP. Om Birla is praised within the party for his election management and efficient coordination up to the booth level, showcasing his adept management skills.
As far as Om Birla’s achievements as Lok Sabha Speaker are concerned, the new Parliament building was constructed under his leadership. Additionally, the productivity of the 17th Lok Sabha was 97%, the highest in the last 25 years.
The productivity of the fourth session of the 17th Lok Sabha, held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, was 167%, the highest in the history of the Lok Sabha. Rs 801 crore was saved by encouraging financial discipline in the functioning of Parliament. During the 17th Lok Sabha, 222 bills became law, the highest in the last three Lok Sabhas.Bills were discussed for a total of 440.54 hours, the highest in the last four Lok Sabhas.
The Parliament Library, a rich treasure of knowledge, was opened to the general public on 17 August 2022.
A system was started to provide answers to MPs on the issues raised during Zero Hour.
Strict implementation was done to provide answers to the issues raised by the MPs under Rule 377 within the 30-day period set by the ministries. Due to this, during the 17th Lok Sabha, MPs received responses on almost 95 percent of the subjects.
A system was started to make video clips of the expressions made in the House immediately available to the MPs. Due to the efforts of the Speaker, this happened four times during the 17th Lok Sabha. All 20 starred questions were answered in one Question Hour.
In order to build the capacity of the MPs, a new system of briefing sessions was started in relation to various bills coming to the House. Om Birla’s first General Purpose Committee meeting was held after 19 years.Under the initiative of democracy empowerment, Om Birla took the country’s temple of democracy, Parliament, to the country’s smallest unit of democracy, Panchayat. Outreach programs were organised on the initiative of Om Birla, in which Panchayat representatives were trained in Uttarakhand, North Eastern States, and Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh.
