Om Birla was congratulated by the opposition leaders for being elected Speaker of the Lok Sabha for a second term. They urged him to stay impartial. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, on behalf of the INDIA alliance, emphasised Birla's role as the “final arbiter of the voice” of India's people and pledged support for a well-functioning House. While Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav expressed his view and hoped that actions like suspension of MPs would not be taken as they hurt the dignity of the House. Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said “It is my firm belief and so far parliamentary democratic practice is concerned, the House belongs to the opposition. This attitude needs to be adopted by the ruling party.” DMK's TR Baalu said that though Birla was elected as a BJP MP, now that he is the speaker, there should be no politics between him and the post. You have to treat each and every opposition and ruling party the same… kindly be impartial, Baalu said.
