Govt, opposition face-off on protem Speaker issue ahead of first Lok Sabha session

Ahead of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, tensions arose between the NDA government and the INDIA bloc over the appointment of Pro-tem Speaker. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress of spreading falsehoods, while opposition members threatened to boycott joining the panel assisting Pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab. President Droupadi Murmu appointed Mahtab, a seven-term BJP leader, to administer oaths and oversee the Speaker's election.