Parliament Session 2024: Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey took a swipe at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday for flagging that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had bowed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after being elected to the post. MP Dubey said, "Agar unko pair chooke pranam kar lete Om Birlaji toh unki kursi ka maan kamm nahi hota. (Had you, Om Birla, touched PM Modi's feet, that would not diminish the power of your position).
Rahul Gandhi, in his first speech as Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, flagged that Speaker Om Birla bowed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a courtesy greeting, but stood firmly tall when shaking hands with the Congress MP. Rahul Gandhi had taken a jibe at the BJP's nature of hero worship in bowing to PM Modi during his speech.
"Speaker sir, when you were put on the chair, I walked with you to your chair. You are the final arbiter of Lok Sabha. What you say fundamentally defines Indian democracy," Rahul Gandhi began, setting the stage for his critical observation. "Speaker sir, there are two people sitting in the chair, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Mr. Om Birla. When I shook your hand, you stood straight and shook my hand. When Modi ji shook your hand, you bowed down."
Nishikant Dubey further said, "Modiji hamare party ke bade aadmi hain, party ne ticket diya toh Om Birla iss kursi par baithe hain (Modi is a senior leader of the BJP, and because the party gave Om Birla the ticket, he got the opportunity to be elected as the Lok Sabha speaker)."
"Aapse jo bhi bade aadmi hai, pad ki, maryada ki chinta nahi karni chahiye. aapko bharatiya sanskriti and sambhyata ke baare mein nahi pata hai (You should not consider your designation in front of a person older than you. Don't you know about Indian tradition and culture?)" Nishikant Dubey added.
On Monday, Om Birla had also responded to Rahul Gandhi's remarks saying, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the Leader of the House. Mera sanskar kehta hai ki jo hamse bade hain unse jhuk ke namaskar karo and barabar walo se seedhe khade hoke (My culture teaches me to bow down in front of elders and shake hands with equals by standing straight).
Sitting BJP MP Nishikant Dubey won the Godda Lok Sabha seat in Jharkhand by a margin of 1.01 lakh votes, defeating his nearest rival Congress's Pradeep Yadav, during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
