Opposition stages protest outside parliament over pro-tem speaker appointment

As the 18th Lok Sabha commenced its first session, several Opposition leaders from the INDIA bloc staged a demonstration in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament, brandishing copies of the Constitution.

Congress leader K C Venugopal posted a video of the protest on X (formerly twitter), labeling the leaders as “guardians of democracy.” The video featured prominent figures such as Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, and TMC leader Mahua Moitra. The leaders held up copies of the Constitution while chanting slogans like “Our Constitution long live” and “Who will save the Constitution? We will, we will.”

“We are committed to protecting and upholding the Constitution. We are united in our resolve to fight against injustice…The INDIA alliance enters the 18th Lok Sabha with Bapu’s blessings and a fresh resolve to give voice to the people’s issues, challenges, hopes, and aspirations in Parliament and keep the government in check every single minute,” Venugopal captioned the video.

The INDIA bloc leaders were protesting against several issues: the appointment of BJP leader Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro-tem Speaker, alleged irregularities in the NEET UG-2024 examination, and the relocation of statues within the Parliament building complex.

The Opposition claimed that eight-term member K Suresh, a Dalit leader, was unjustly passed over for the temporary position of pro-tem Speaker. According to the Congress, Mahtab’s appointment deviated from the traditional practice of appointing the senior-most MP, which is an “established tradition” in the Lok Sabha.

“The government’s attitude remains arrogant. They bypassed a Dalit MP who is an eight-term MP. K Suresh should have been the pro-tem Speaker. It is very unfortunate that the Parliamentary Affairs Minister made this decision without consulting the opposition parties,” said Congress MP Manickam Tagore.

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, who joined the protest, stated that the Constitution had been violated. “The Constitution has been violated by the Narendra Modi government. The way the pro-tem Speaker has been appointed is a clear violation of Constitutional provisions and previous precedents,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi also criticized the Centre, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of attacking the Constitution. “We would not allow the attack on the Constitution that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are doing…This attack is not acceptable to us. Our message is reaching the public, and no power can touch the Constitution of India. We will protect it,” he told the media.

During the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, President Droupadi Murmu swore in seven-time MP Mahtab as the pro-tem Speaker. Following this, PM Modi and other ministers took their oaths as members of Parliament.

Ahead of the session, Modi sent a message to the Opposition, emphasizing that the public expects "debate and diligence" from parliamentarians, not "disturbance." “India needs a responsible Opposition. People want substance, not slogans; they want debate and diligence, not disturbance in Parliament. People expect good steps from the Opposition. It has been disappointing so far, but I hope it will fulfill its role and maintain democracy’s decorum,” Modi said outside the new Parliament building.

He also took an indirect swipe at Congress by referencing the Emergency, stating that the new generation will “never forget how the Constitution was destroyed.”