Om Birla.
Credit: PTI Photo
Political Party: BJP
Parliamentary Constituency: Kota South, Rajasthan
Om Birla (62) was a surprise choice for the LS Speaker's post in 2019 as he was then a relatively less-known face outside Rajasthan. But it's said that BJP's big two — Narendra Modi and Amit Shah — were returning a favour to Birla, who supposedly gave shelter to Shah at his farmhouse when the latter was being investigated for his "involvement" in Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.
A Hindu Marwari-Baniya, Birla started his political journey in 1979 as the president of the students' association of Government Senior Secondary School in Kota. With a strong RSS background, he became the district president of Bharatiya Yuva Morcha in 1987. He had led a team to Ayodhya during Ram Janamabhoomi movement and was even imprisoned.
He became a legislator from Kota (South) in 2003, and went on to win in 2008 and 2013, too, but later fought for LS, winning it easily. He retained his seat in 2019 and was unanimously chosen as Speaker.
Synonymous with Kota, Birla has actively indulged in charity. Even Modi hails him as a leader devoted to “jan seva”.
But many wouldn't agree to this as Birla disqualified 146 protesting MPs after the Parliament security breach.
However, he has given equal opportunity to all MPs, especially the first-timers and women. Many say he has handled disruptions with a smiling face.