'Only yours doesn't work': Om Birla takes a dig at Rahul Gandhi during special LS session | WATCH

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla shared a lighthearted exchange with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, during a tense special session of Parliament marked by the introduction of landmark legislation to overhaul India’s electoral map.

The moment occurred as Congress MP K.C. Venugopal raised concerns regarding the government’s timeline for implementing a 33% reservation for women in the legislature. When Gandhi gestured to the microphone and remarked, "No mic," suggesting his colleague’s audio was muted, Birla offered a pointed quip.

"Chalu hai mic chalu hai, aapka hi band hota hai (The mic is on, only yours doesn't work)," Birla remarked, drawing laughter from the treasury benches. The Speaker’s comment appeared to reference Gandhi’s longstanding allegations, first voiced during a 2023 trip to the United Kingdom, that the opposition’s microphones are frequently silenced during parliamentary proceedings.

Legislative Overhaul and Regional Friction

The levity was brief, as the House moved into a heated debate over three pivotal bills: 'The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026', 'The Delimitation Bill, 2026', and 'The Union Territories Laws (Amendment Bill), 2026'.

The proposed 131st Amendment seeks to expand the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to a maximum of 850 seats. The move is intended to facilitate the immediate implementation of the women’s reservation quota by decoupling it from the requirement of a post-2026 Census, which was a condition of the 2023 Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

However, the prospect of redrawing electoral boundaries has triggered intense pushback from southern states. Leaders from Tamil Nadu and Telangana expressed fears that their parliamentary influence would be diluted by northern states with higher population growth, potentially undermining federal equity.

Objections and Procedures

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju led the government’s defence, clashing with opposition figures including Akhilesh Yadav and Venugopal. Shah intervened during Venugopal’s opening remarks to object to a debate on the merits of the bills before they had been formally taken up for discussion.

Venugopal had questioned the government's sincerity, asking why the reservation could not have been enacted earlier. "What exactly is the intention of this bill?" Venugopal asked, characterising the legislation as a "fundamental attack on the Indian federal structure."

The special session is expected to continue through the weekend as the government seeks to pass the amendments, which would fundamentally alter the size and composition of the Indian Parliament for the first time in decades.