A tense moment in the Lok Sabha has become the talk of social media, highlighting the growing friction between the ruling party and the opposition. The incident occurred during the oath-taking ceremony of newly elected MPs, when Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda had a heated exchange.
The drama unfolded after Congress MP Shashi Tharoor took his oath, concluding with the phrase “Jai Samvidhan” (long live the Constitution). Speaker Birla promptly suggested that such additions were unnecessary, given that the oath itself is taken in the name of the Constitution.
As Tharoor stepped down, greeting opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, Hooda and other Congress members rose to defend their colleague. Hooda addressed the Speaker, saying, “Sir, you should not have any objection to it.”
Birla’s response was swift and sharp. “You don’t teach me what is objectionable and not objectionable. Sit down!” he told Hooda, in a tone that many on social media have described as unnecessarily harsh.
The exchange, captured on video, quickly went viral on X (formerly Twitter), with netizens criticizing Birla’s approach. Many commented that the Speaker’s reaction was disproportionate and that an opposition MP shouldn’t be addressed in such a manner.
This incident comes just a day after Birla was re-elected as Lok Sabha Speaker for a second term. A three-time MP from Kota, Rajasthan, Birla’s handling of the house will be closely watched as the new session progresses.
Deepender Hooda, the Congress MP at the receiving end of Birla’s rebuke, is no political lightweight himself. He won the Rohtak seat in Haryana by a massive margin of 3.4 lakh votes, the largest in the state.
As the monsoon session of Parliament continues, this early clash between the Speaker and opposition members suggests that we might be in for a stormy few weeks. The incident has raised questions about decorum in the house and the role of the Speaker in maintaining it.