LS speaker attended special session for kids in Rajasthan Assembly, say sources over oppn criticism

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was at a special assembly session for young minds organised by the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha on Sunday to mark Children's Day, sources said after the opposition questioned his absence at an event in Parliament to mark the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru.

In 2019 and 2020, Birla had attended the event of paying floral tribute to Nehru on his birth anniversary at the Central Hall of Parliament, sources in the Lok Sabha Secretariat said.

Children's Day is celebrated on November 14 to mark the birth anniversary of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

The Opposition parties on Sunday questioned the ''absence'' of the Rajya Sabha Chairman, the Lok Sabha Speaker and union ministers at the traditional event in Parliament's Central Hall. They have frequently accused the government of disregarding parliamentary traditions, though the government has dismissed such allegations.

Birla was attending a pre-scheduled event organised by the Vidhan Sabha in Congress-ruled Rajasthan where Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Assembly Speaker C P Joshi were present, sources said.

Officials also said that Birla has always attended such events in Parliament whenever he is in Delhi, though there is no formal convention for him or for the Rajya Sabha Chairperson to mandatorily attend these functions.

A total of 200 children -- corresponding to the number of assembly seats in Rajasthan -- conducted the Question Hour, Zero Hour and other proceedings of the Legislative Assembly as the speaker, chief minister, ministers, leader of the opposition, and ruling and opposition party MLAs.

Birla praised the initiative and said active public participation was needed to strengthen democracy.

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