Starting off the first Parliament session in his third term on the front foot, the Prime Minister launched an ‘Emergency’ attack towards the main Opposition Congress before the Lok Sabha met this morning.

Addressing the media before the House met, the Prime Minister said this June 25 — tomorrow — will mark the 50th anniversary of the Emergency and called it a “black spot” on the country’s democracy.

This Parliament sessions comes after the general elections and the Opposition is buoyed by its good show that restricted the BJP below the majority mark. The Prime Minister has returned to the top post with the support of NDA allies and the Opposition plans to use its numerical strength to corner the government on the House floor.

The tone of the Prime Minister’s address, however, the BJP may have suffered a setback, but it has no plan to let the Opposition have its way.

The Prime Minister assured the people that the government will work three times harder in its third term and deliver three-fold results.

This election, he said, was significant because this is only the second government after Independence that has been chosen to continue for a third term in a row. “This opportunity has come after 60 years. When people have chosen a government for the third term, it means a stamp on its intent, a stamp on its policies and its dedication. I thank the people for this,” he told the media.

Referring to the Emergency imposed by the then Indira Gandhi government, he said, “Tomorrow marks 50 years of the black spot on Indian democracy. The new generation will not forget how the Indian Constitution was scrapped, how the country was turned into a jail and democracy was captured. In this 50th anniversary, the country will take a pledge that never again will it happen.”

The Prime Minister said the government will consistently try to take everyone along to serve the country and its people, but added a stern message for the Opposition. “India needs a responsible Opposition, people want substance not slogans, they want debate, diligence not drama and disturbance in Parliament. I hope the Opposition will live up to the people’s expectations,” he said.

The country, he said, has a lot of expectations from MPs and urged them to take every possible step for public welfare. The Prime Minister congratulated the newly elected MPs and noted that this is the first time new MPs will take the oath in the new Parliament building.

The Prime Minister’s remarks and swipes targeting the Congress drew a sharp response. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the country was expecting that the Prime Ministr would speak about the protests surrounding NEET, the train accident in West Bengal or the continuing violence in Manipur.

“You are warning the Opposition. You are talking about the 50-year-old Emergency, but have forgotten the undeclared Emergency in the last 10 years,” Mr Kharge said, adding that the people have “given a mandate against Modiji”. The Congress chief said the INDIA Opposition bloc will raise the people’s voice inside and outside the Parliament.

New Delhi:

The 18th Lok Sabha is set to meet for the first time today on a stormy note as the Opposition returns to the House with more strength than last time after the general election denied a majority to the ruling BJP.

Besides the protest surrounding irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, the selection of the pro-tem Speaker has emerged as a key flashpoint between the treasury and the Opposition benches.

The pro-tem Speaker is a temporary post and the House chooses a member from among the seniormost MPs for this position. The primary role of the pro-tem Speaker is to administer the oath to the new members.

The BJP has chosen its leader Bhartruhari Mahtab, a seven-time MP who was earlier with the Biju Janata Dal, as the pro-tem Speaker. The Congress has opposed this, questioning why K Suresh, a Congress MP for eight terms, was not selected. Explaining the grounds for its choice, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has said that while Mr Mahtab has had seven consecutive terms as a Lok Sabha MP, Mr Suresh lost the polls in 1998 and 2004 and this is his fourth straight term in the House.

President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath to Mr Mahtab before the House meets today. He will serve as pro-tem Speaker till the election of the Speaker. The President has said seniormost members of the House — K Suresh, T R Baalu, Radha Mohan Singh, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Sudip Bandyopadhyay will assist the pro-tem Speaker in administering oath to the new MPs.

The Congress has said MPs of the INDIA Opposition bloc — Mr Suresh, Mr Baalu and Mr Bandyopadhyay — will not assist during the oath as a mark of protest against the government’s pro-tem Speaker choice. Mr Rijiju met the three senior MPs ahead of the session. Mr Baalu, it is learnt, told him that he won’t be assisting Mr Mahtab.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has also questioned why the BJP did not choose its MP Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi, also in his seventh consecutive term, for the post.

“Kodikunnil Suresh of the INC, who is in his eighth term, should have been Speaker Protem. But Bhartruhari Mahtab of the BJP has been appointed on the flimsy grounds that he has a greater claim because this is his seventh consecutive term. If this argument is adopted, then why has Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi, a BJP MP who is also in his seventh consecutive term, not been considered? Is it because he is a Dalit like Suresh?” he asked.

In response, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the Congress should make Mr Suresh the Leader of the Opposition.

“If you are so concerned about the political career of Shri Kodikunnil Suresh, I would urge you to make him the Leader of the Opposition and the CM face of the UDF for the 2026 Kerala elections. Why stress so much for a temporary position?” he posted on X.

Mr Suresh, MP from Kerala’s Mavelikara, said the government has done wrong. “We are claiming that an eighth-term MP should be the pro-tem Speaker…They have done wrong, and now the whole country is criticising the decision of the BJP government,” he said.

New Delhi:
The first session of Parliament after the Lok Sabha elections will begin today, with the newly-elected MPs – including Prime Minister Narendra Modi – taking oath.

Here are the top 10 updates on this big story

New Delhi:
The first session of Parliament after the Lok Sabha elections will begin today, with the newly-elected MPs – including Prime Minister Narendra Modi – taking oath.

Here are the top 10 updates on this big story

New Delhi:
The first session of Parliament after the Lok Sabha elections will begin today, with the newly-elected MPs – including Prime Minister Narendra Modi – taking oath.

1. BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab will be administered the oath as the Pro-Tem Speaker by President Droupadi Murmu, who then will call upon the Prime Minister to take oath as the member of the House.

2. The row over the appointment of Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro-tem Speaker is expected to cast a shadow over the proceedings. The post of Pro Tem Speaker – a temporary one — traditionally goes to the senior most member of parliament.

3. The Congress – which was expecting Kodikunnil Suresh, a Dalit leader and an eight-time MP from Kerala, to be named Pro-Tem Speaker – has criticisied the BJP over the appointment of Mr Mahtab.

4. The Lok Sabha Speaker will be elected on June 26. Until a new Speaker is elected, the Pro-Tem Speaker presides over the first few sessions of the Lok Sabha and conducts the election for the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to announce the new Speaker’s name on Wednesday, two days after the first sitting of the newly elected 18th Lok Sabha. Once the Speaker is elected – by a simple majority, meaning the BJP’s pick is unlikely to fail – the Pro-Tem’s post ceases to exist.

6. The Opposition is also expected to raise the alleged irregularities in competitive exams NEET and NET. Amid an escalating row, the Centre on Saturday replaced National Testing Agency Director General Subodh Singh and set up a seven-member panel to review the agency’s functioning and recommend exam reforms.

7. The government has also operationalised a stringent law that aims to curb malpractices and irregularities in competitive examinations. A maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore for offenders are some of the tough measures under the law.

8. The Congress last week held protests across the country over the exam fiasco, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said he will raise the issue in parliament and the opposition will put pressure on the government to ensure justice for students.

9. President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on June 27. She may outline the new government’s roadmap for the next five years.

10. This session will conclude on July 3 and reassemble for the monsoon session on July 22.

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