Three-time BJP MP Om Birla was elected Lok Sabha Speaker for the second time in a row on Wednesday, June 26, after the NDA candidate won the election by a voice vote.
The house also saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi shaking hands, a different scene compared to the usual proceedings. However, the atmosphere changed suddenly. Speaker Om Birla displayed a completely different attitude in his very first speech.
Om Birla spoke about the 1975 Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi's government, calling it a black chapter in the history of democracy. He criticized the Congress for the decision and had the House observe two minutes of silence.
First Speech of Om Birla After Re-Elected As Speaker
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said, "This House strongly condemns the decision to impose Emergency in 1975. We appreciate the determination of all those who opposed the Emergency, fought, and fulfilled the responsibility of protecting the democracy of India. June 25, 1975, will always be known as a black chapter in the history of India."
"On this day, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in the country and attacked the Constitution made by Baba Saheb Ambedkar. India is known all over the world as the mother of democracy. Democratic values and debate have always been supported in India. Democratic values have always been protected, they have always been encouraged. Dictatorship was imposed on such an India by Indira Gandhi. The democratic values of India were crushed and freedom of expression was strangled," he added.