Rijiju Slams Congress Over Lok Sabha Pro-tem Speaker Appointment

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju criticizes the Congress for politicizing the appointment of Bhartruhari Mahtab as Lok Sabha pro-tem Speaker. He asserts conventions were followed, while the Congress claims norms were violated. Rijiju emphasizes the temporary nature of the pro-tem Speaker role and cites past precedents to support his stance.

In a heated exchange on Friday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju criticized the Congress for politicizing the appointment of Bhartruhari Mahtab as Lok Sabha's pro-tem Speaker. Rijiju maintained that conventions were adhered to in choosing the seven-term MP from Odisha, countering Congress's accusations of norm violations.

President Droupadi Murmu appointed Mahtab to administer the oath of the newly elected Lok Sabha members. However, the Congress argues that Suresh, an eight-term MP, should have been appointed instead, alleging the BJP-led government is undermining parliamentary norms.

Rijiju rebutted these claims, stating Suresh lacked an uninterrupted tenure, disqualifying him for the pro-tem position. He also referred to the Supreme Court's 2018 ruling that the senior-most lawmaker convention holds no legal force. Additionally, Rijiju cited the UPA's past appointments to counter Congress's stance.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)