Prerogative And Protocol

THERE IS NO reference in the Constitution to the appointment of a pro-tem speaker and while the seniormost elected member of Lok Sabha may be sworn in to the post, the discretion lies with the government. After the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the government decided on Virendra Kumar, a seven-term BJP MP, as the pro-tem speaker rather than Maneka Gandhi who was an eight-term MP. In 2014, the Modi government recommended the name of Congress leader Kamal Nath, a nine-term MP, to President Pranab Mukherjee. This time round, President Droupadi Murmu appointed seven-term MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, a veteran parliamentarian who switched to BJP from BJD, as the pro-tem speaker. Congress protested that the claim of Kodikunnil Suresh, an eight-term MP, had been ignored. Though the government’s decision was called controversial, the fact remains that there is no written rule or convention on the seniority principle. The relations between BJP and Congress are far from cordial and the government intended to convey the point of its majority in Lok Sabha in view of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc’s claims that NDA had been rejected. The BJP brass made it clear that it will not reconsider Mahtab’s appointment and it was no surprise that the efforts to ensure the unanimous election of the speaker proved to be a non-starter. There is a strong likelihood of the deputy speaker’s post being given to a TDP MP since the I.N.D.I.A. bloc has put up Suresh as its candidate. Mahtab has refused to join issue on the controversy, maintaining that whipping up a controversy over the pro-tem speaker reflected a lack of knowledge about parliamentary procedure and the Constitution. When he was not in the House overseeing the swearing in of members, he was in the speaker’s office in the new Parliament meeting visitors who included several MPs and leaders. The soft-spoken MP from Cuttack is widely respected for carefully argued interventions and enjoys considerable rapport across aisles.

Odisha Call

The BJP contingent from Odisha is basking in the glow of satisfaction that the decision to turn down an alliance with BJD proved to be the right call. It is understood that after considerable debate Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the call and decided to back the BJP state unit’s strong view to go it alone. BJP’s decision to pitch itself as the protector of Odisha Asmita (identity) and a trenchant attack on BJD chief Naveen Patnaik for diluting it was led by Modi himself who raised the pitch at every rally he held in the state. He declared that all four gates of the famous Jagannath temple in Puri would be thrown open on June 10 when a BJP chief minister was in office. He also demanded that the reasons behind Patnaik’s hand tremors be probed, suggesting his medication was being tampered with. The target was Patnaik’s Man Friday, former official VK Pandian who, according to Odisha politicos, had become overconfident about a BJD win. Pandian’s influence grew dramatically after BJD was re-elected for a fifth term. He quickly ensured that senior BJD MPs not only lost contact with Patnaik but were also overlooked for important appointments. As the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections approached, many BJD leaders left for BJP. The BJP tally of 20 MPs from Odisha is a crucial component of the 240 BJP MPs who won and ensured that a Modi 3.0 government assumed office.

A Quiet Start

Despite I.N.D.I.A. bloc MPs waving copies of the Constitution, proceedings on the first day of the 18th Lok Sabha began smoothly with hardly any sloganeering. Stray comments apart, the swearing in of members got underway and while Opposition MPs named on the panel of presiding officers did not take the oath, the rest did. And the MPs who declined to be on the panel were sworn in later in the day when their respective states were listed. By the end of June 24, 260 MPs had been sworn in. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi left the chamber within an hour along with party MPs Kodikunnil Suresh and KC Venugopal leaving Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on the front bench along with Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad. In the second row were Congress gen-next leaders Deepender Hooda and Gaurav Gogoi and NCP’s (Sharad Pawar) Supriya Sule, DMK’s Kanimozhi and Akhilesh’s wife Dimple Yadav. The MPs were busy talking among themselves for the most part and it was only the occasional comment by senior Trinamool MP Saugata Roy, who often cannot resist the temptation to offer a view on proceedings, that broke the humdrum. After a while the women MPs too left and the sole occupant of the second bench in the Congress aisle was Kollam MP NK Premachandran who takes his parliamentary duties seriously. A couple of benches away Congress MPs Manish Tewari and Selja Kumari seemed immersed in a discussion, perhaps with regard to the Lok Sabha results in Haryana and the implications for the party. On the second day, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra was seen sitting next to Rahul on the front bench for a while before Venugopal arrived and claimed the spot. The swearing in of MPs, barring some limited point-scoring, was along predictable lines. The regular proceedings following the election of the speaker are expected to see the Opposition asserting itself and while disruptions are expected, it remains to be seen if the discussion on the president’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament offers engaging speeches.

Smooth Passages

While the passages in the new Parliament need some getting used to, the offices of the prime minister, speaker, senior ministers and staff are well located and within a few minutes of each another. This is a change from the old Parliament, now called Samvidhan Sadan, where the offices were dispersed over a lengthy corridor that ran around the circumference of the building. The offices in the new Parliament are modern and tasteful even as they reflect an economy of space and a utilitarian orientation. Some of the offices contain mid-sized conference tables where visitors, including political delegations, can be met. The visitor entry area has also been reorganised in a large hall with sofas. Multiple counters make it easier for the media as well since getting passes earlier involved at least three stops before they were issued. The hall opens directly behind the Hansa gate which is at a distance from the entry used by MPs. The entry of visitors has been streamlined unlike the inaugural session in the last Lok Sabha where gates were crowded by a large number of guests brought in by MPs.

Birla Means Continuity

The election of BJP leader Om Birla is yet more evidence of the “continuity mantra” of the Modi 3.0 government after the reappointments of the Cabinet Committee on Security, the National Security Advisor, Principal Secretary, and heads of intelligence agencies. With Lok Sabha likely to be more challenging, Birla’s experience of parliamentary proceedings and his generally non-combative approach is expected to help run proceedings in a deeply divided House. After a tough contest, Birla won his Kota seat by more than 40,000 votes and can be said to be ready for tougher challenges as Lok Sabha speaker.

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