Morning shows the day, is the old adage. What Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and other opposition leaders have said on behalf of INDIA block was a clear indication that the Lok Sabha proceedings will no longer be one-sided, as the country had seen since 2014 after the BJP came to power with absolute majority in the House, denying the opposition even the LoP post. Om Birla became the Speaker of the House in 2019, and his first term was marked by numerous disruptions of the proceedings of the House and ultimate expulsion of almost entire opposition by the last session in 2023, in which several laws were passed in the House without thorough discussion, though they are of far-reaching importance for the future of the country. Such an unfortunate level of functioning of the Lok Sabha seems not possible now, given the respective strength of the BJP led NDA government and Congress led INDIA bloc.

In his welcome speech for the Speaker, Mr Gandhi said, "The Opposition would like to assist you in doing your work. We would like the House to function. It is very important that cooperation happens on the basis of trust. It is very important that the voice of the Opposition is allowed to be represented in this House. … I am confident that you will allow us to speak. The question is not how efficiently the House is run. The question is how much of India's voice is being allowed to be heard. So the idea that you can run the House efficiently by silencing the voice of the Opposition is a non-democratic idea. And this election has shown that the people of India expect the Opposition to defend the Constitution. … We are confident that by allowing the Opposition to speak, you will do your duty of defending the Constitution.”

As LoP, Rahul Gandhi seemed committed to the responsibilities the post comes with. As LoP, he will be part of several appointment committees including of the CBI Chief, Chief Election Commissioner, National Human Rights Commission, Central Vigilance Commissioner, Lokayukta and so on. He will have several other constitutional responsibilities for the first time in his political career. He will likely to be chairman of all-important Public Accounts Committee having chief responsibility of examining the CAG reports and will have right to ask for probes from the Modi government. He would also be a member of several committees comprised of the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India.

The change in the Lok Sabha is quite interesting and promising for the larger interest of the country since Rahul Gandhi has shown his mettle during the Lok Sabha election 2024 campaigns. He had been the most fearless voice among the opposition leaders, and as LoP, his impact will be even more profound, as has been asserted by the AICC. One of the major responsibilities of the LoP is to provide alternative policies and critique of the government’s proposals. Additionally, he is sure to hold the government accountable for their omission and commission, and decisions and actions.

Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav said while welcoming Om Birla as Speaker, “We expect voice of Opposition will not be crushed and there will be no more expulsions. … “We expect voice of Opposition will not be crushed and there will be no more expulsions. … We believe you will move forward without discrimination and as the Speaker, you will give equal opportunity and respect to every party. Impartiality is a great responsibility of this great post. You sitting here are the chief justice of the court of democracy.”

The signals emanating from the speeches of the opposition leaders in the House suggest that Om Birla will have more challenging time in the 18th Lok Sabha where the opposition INDIA bloc has 234 seats, BJP has 240, and NDA has 293 seats. Several laws passed in the 17th Lok Sabha are to be implemented in Modi 3.0 regime which are bound to be opposed by the opposition. It means Om Birla will have greater responsibility to take the members of the House both from the government and opposition ranks together for any meaningful conduct of proceedings and smooth functioning of the house. At times, he will have to face great difficulties especially when the opposition would try to hold PM Modi and his government accountable.

Though Om Birla has now greater responsibility, his invocation of ‘Emergency of 1975’ on the first day proceeding of the House, is indeed ominous, since it irked the opposition while pleased PM Narendra Modi who had earlier invoked the emergency to counter the chief opposition Congress’ insistence on “Save the Constitution”. Om Birla spoke of emergency as “black chapter in the history of India”. Congress has been alleging all along that PM Modi regime have been trampling the Constitution of India and have imposed an undeclared emergency in the country.

Nevertheless, Om Birla will have to change his way. He will have to show his neutrality towards the ruling and opposition ranks while running the House, since earning the trust of members is crucial. Since the Speaker presides over the meetings of the House, maintaining discipline and decorum among members, and decided on who speaks for how much time, Om Birla will have to tread carefully. The permutation and combination of the ruling and opposition ranks would not allow him to act in similar fashion in his second term as Speaker of the House as he had acted in his first term. Apart from impartiality, he will have to undergo challenging times as far as certifying of bills are concerned, such as whether a bill is money bill or not, and also while deciding on disqualification under the Tenth Schedule for potential defection. It should be noted that some bills were passed in the Lok Sabha in the past under his first term as ‘money bill’ only to avoid hurdle in Rajya Sabha. Such things can’t easily be allowed by the opposition this time.

PM Narendra Modi will have, obviously, unlike his previous two terms, to undergo tough times when his government will be held accountable on various issues by the stronger opposition, chiefly on account of his being leading a coalition government. Managing his slippery allies would be difficult, especially the JD(U) and TDP whose support bases would not allow them to go along the political line of the BJP. He will have to change his communal political slant to social harmony, to modify his pro-corporate economic policies to incorporate more pro-people measures. Opposition would make him answerable in the House on majority of issues facing the country. The 18th Lok Sabha may bring a new era of hectic and exciting legislative business after a decade. (IPA Service)