Unmissable: Video of PM Modi-Rahul Gandhi Handshake in Parliament Wins Internet | WATCH

New Delhi: It was a spectacle of bonhomie in Parliament on Wednesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shook hands as the duo came together to welcome the newly appointed Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, marking a fresh chapter in the 18th Lok Sabha. For the unversed, NDA nominee Om Birla was elected as the Lok Sabha speaker after a motion moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was adopted through voice votes. Pro-tem Speaker B Mathai made the announcement after the opposition, which had proposed Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh as its candidate, did not press for votes to the motion.

After the announcement, PM Modi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju were joined by the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in escorting Birla, the BJP MP from Kota, to the Speaker's chair, marking a moment of bipartisan harmony after a day of rancour between the ruling alliance and opposition parties over the poll. The House elected Birla with a voice vote after opposition parties fielded Congress member K Suresh as its choice for the post. 

Congratulating him (Om Birla) on his fresh term on behalf of the entire House, PM Modi lauded the third-term MP for his conduct as Speaker in the previous Lok Sabha and also as a parliamentarian. PM Modi said Birla presided over a golden era in Lok Sabha's history as a number of historic decisions were taken during its previous term. Noting that he is the first Speaker after Balram Jakhar, who was in the Chair between 1980 and 1989, to get another term after serving a full tenure, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that he will continue to create new benchmarks.

When Rahul Hugged Modi

In 2018, Rahul Gandhi made headlines when he hugged Prime Minister Modi during a parliamentary debate marked by intense exchanges. Gandhi left his seat, walked across the floor, and awkwardly embraced the Prime Minister, who appeared taken aback. Known for his bear-hugs with world leaders, PM Modi remained frozen in his seat initially.

As Gandhi began to walk away, PM Modi grabbed his sleeve, whispered something in his ear, and patted him. Once back in his seat, Gandhi was seen winking at his fellow Congress MPs. Since then, the BJP has cited this gesture to argue that the hug was "insincere" and not the spontaneous gesture of goodwill that the Congress claimed it to be.

‘Hoped The Opposition Would be Allowed to Raise Voice of People’

Congratulating Om Birla for being elected speaker of the Lok Sabha for a second term, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi hoped the Opposition would be allowed to raise the voice of people in the House. He also said the Opposition wanted the House to function "often and well" and added that it was very important that cooperation happens with trust. "I'd like to congratulate you for your successful election... I congratulate you on behalf of the entire INDIA alliance. This House represents the voice of the people of India... Of course, the government has political power, but the opposition also represents the voice of India's people," the Congress leader said, adding that the opposition would like to assist you in your work. “I am confident you will allow us to speak in House”, Rahul said. 

Pointing out that this time the opposition represents significantly more voices of the Indian people than last time, Gandhi stressed that it was very important that the voice of the opposition is allowed to be represented in the House. "I am confident that you will allow us to represent our voice, allow us to speak, to represent the voice of the people of India." The question, he said, is not how efficiently the House is run, the question is how much of India's voice is allowed to be heard in the House. "The idea that you can run the House efficiently by silencing the voice of opposition is a non-democratic idea. This election has shown that the people of India expect the opposition to defend the Constitution of this country and we are confident that by allowing Opposition to speak, you will do your duty of defending the Constitution of India," the Raebareli MP said.