Om Birla's comments on Emergency not apt, don't suit stature of Lok Sabha Speaker: Sharad Pawar
The Hindu
NCP-SP President Sharad Pawar criticizes Lok Sabha Speaker's Emergency reference, questions BJP's mandate, and doubts Maharashtra Budget's implementation.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) president Sharad Pawar on June 29 said the reference to Emergency made by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in his speech was not apt and did not suit the stature of his post.
Addressing reporters in Kolhapur, Mr. Pawar also said the sops announced in the Budget presented by his estranged nephew and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on June 28, was just an effort ahead of the State Assembly polls to project that they are doing something massive.
Soon after his election as Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla on Wednesday set off a firestorm by reading out a resolution condemning the imposition of Emergency as an attack on the Constitution by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Referring to it, Mr. Pawar said, "The Speaker's reference to the Emergency in his address did not suit the stature of the post. It has been 50 years since the Emergency, Indira Gandhi is no longer alive. So why is the Speaker bringing up this issue now?" "Is it the role of the Speaker to make a political statement? We think his statement was not apt. The President's speech also had a brief mention of this issue. That was also not necessary," he said.
On Rahul Gandhi taking the Leader of Opposition's post, Mr. Pawar said the party with the most number of MPs in the Opposition gets to decide the Leader of Opposition.
"The MPs of the Congress decided to make Rahul Gandhi their leader. In one way, this is a representation from the new generation with a background in politics, and a willingness to put in tremendous effort. I am sure he will shine," he said.
Mr. Pawar hit out at the BJP, saying that before making statements on Congress-mukt Bharat, the BJP should take note of how many seats it had before the Lok Sabha polls and how many it has after this election.
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