Today marks President Droupadi Murmu’s first speech to the joint session of Parliament following the creation of the 18th Lok Sabha. The NDA administration is in its third term in the 18th Lok Sabha.
The President must address a joint session of Parliament at the start of the session following Lok Sabha elections, as stipulated by Article 87 of the Constitution. Every year during the first session, the President also speaks to both Houses together.
Both Houses of Parliament will consider a resolution of thanks following the President’s speech.
The 18th Lok Sabha convened for its maiden session on Monday. The Rajya Sabha sitting will begin with this meeting.
After the resolution proposed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was approved by the House on Wednesday by a voice vote, Om Birla was chosen to serve as Speaker of the Lok Sabha for the second time in his career.
Prime Minister Modi congratulated Speaker Birla on his re-election, but also noted that holding the position for a second term during the Amrit Kaal entailed a great deal of responsibility.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, congratulated Om Birla on his reelection and stated that the opposition this time around expresses the people’s voice far more than it did in the 17th Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha Speaker is the ultimate arbitrator of the people’s voice.
During his remarks, Birla stated his confidence that the 18th Lok Sabha will honour its pledge to safeguard and defend Baba Saheb’s Constitution. Birla stated that the nation’s decentralisation of authority and adherence to the rule of law will continue to be priorities for the 18th Lok Sabha.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, stated that it was critical that the opposition’s voice be heard in the House during his inaugural address as the 18th Lok Sabha’s Leader of the Opposition. Gandhi anticipated that with cooperation and trust, the opposition would be given the opportunity to speak up for the people in the House.
In his opening remarks, the Leader of the Opposition congratulated Om Birla on being elected to a second term as Speaker of the Lok Sabha. “Mr Speaker, this House represents the voice of the people of India and you, sir, are the final arbiter of that voice. Of course, the government has political power, but the opposition also represents the people of India,” he said.
Gandhi emphasised how crucial it was that the opposition’s voice be permitted to be expressed in the House, pointing out that this time around the opposition represents a lot more voices of the Indian people than the previous. “This time, the opposition represents significantly more of the voice of the people of India than it did last time. The opposition would like to assist you in your work and would want the house to function often and well. It is very important that cooperation happens on the basis of trust,” he said.
As the world marked the 49th anniversary of the Emergency’s declaration on June 25, 1975, the Speaker praised everyone who had vehemently opposed it.
The INDIA group had before called for the post of Deputy Speaker. However, with no clarity from the BJP, the INDIA bloc proposed Congress MP K Suresh’s name for the Speaker’s post.
Following the general elections, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 293 seats, while the INDIA group won 234 seats, making this the first Lok Sabha session. However, with only 240 seats, the BJP was unable to secure a majority on its own.
