India set to have its first woman Lok Sabha speaker (Lead)

October 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar Thursday congratulated Indian-origin scientist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan on winning the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Lauding his pioneering work in the field of molecular biology, the speaker said: "The nation and the people of India are proud." She said his research would break "new grounds and lead to new dimensions in the field of biology".

June 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The first ruling from Meira Kumar, the first woman speaker of the Lok Sabha, came when two Yadav leaders from her home state of Bihar exchanged heated arguments in the house. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad was making a speech to congratulate Meira Kumar when Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Sharad Yadav opposed some of his remarks, leading to a heated discussion between the two that forced the speaker to issue a directive to reporters to expunge the arguments.

June 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Meira Kumar, who was elected the first woman speaker of India Wednesday, exhorted Lok Sabha MPs to put the elections behind them and address the social and economic problems facing the country. Speaking in the Lok Sabha after being elected to the coveted post, Meira Kumar, a five-time MP, said: The world is passing through its worst-ever recession and India is not separated from it.

June 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Meira Kumar, the first woman speaker of the Lok Sabha, Wednesday said she would be impartial and give equal opportunity to all members to express their views. "It will be my endeavour that I am completely impartial in my conduct and I give opportunity to all the members to express their views," Meira Kumar said, addressing her first press conference after being elected speaker of the lower house of parliament.

June 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Meira Kumar, the first woman speaker of the Lok Sabha, impressed the opposition MPs on her first day in chair, with many saying she will be a success in this role. "She was very impressive as speaker.

June 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Calling her election as the first woman speaker of the Lok Sabha a "historic decision", Meira Kumar said here Wednesday that she would be impartial and give equal opportunity to all members to express their views. "It will be my endeavour that I am completely impartial in my conduct and I give opportunity to all the members to express their views," Meira Kumar said, addressing her first press conference after being elected speaker of the lower house of parliament.

June 2nd, 2009 CHENNAI - Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader M. Karunanidhi Tuesday welcomed the candidature of Meira Kumar for the Lok Sabha Speaker.

June 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Manikrao Gavit, senior most member of the Lok Sabha, was appointed as Pro-tem Speaker by President Pratibha Patil on Monday. Gavit was administered oath by the President in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

June 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Cutting across party lines, politicians on Monday welcomed reports of first woman to be installed as Speaker of the Lok Sabha. With its historic move to install a low-caste woman speaker, the Congress Party is hoping to give the message of social empowerment.

May 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The first session of the 15th Lok Sabha will begin from Monday with the Congress heading the country and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sitting in the opposition. The senior most member of the Lok Sabha Manikrao Gavit has been appointed Protem Speaker by President Pratibha Patil.

May 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - President Pratibha Patil has appointed Manikrao Gavit, the seniormost member of the new Lok Sabha, as its protem speaker, an official said here Saturday. "A communication regarding the appointment of Gavit as protem speaker was received (from the president's palace) Friday," said the official of the Lok Sabha secretariat.

May 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Is the Lok Sabha going to elect its first woman speaker? Congress sources say that although veteran parliamentarian V. Kishore Chandra Deo is the front-runner for the post, there is every likelihood of the Lok Sabha going for its first woman speaker.

May 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The first session of the 15th Lok Sabha is expected to begin on June 2 with Congress heading the country and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sitting in the opposition. The session will see appointment of senior most member of the Lok Sabha as Protem Speaker who will administer oath to the new members and also oversee the election of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.

April 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Lashing out at Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee for his comment that withdrawal of support by the Left parties to the UPA government was a mistake, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat Monday said it revealed his 'pro-Congress stand'. The outgoing Lok Sabha speaker had in an interview to NDTV said he had cautioned the Left parties against withdrawing support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government over the India-US nuclear deal last year.

January 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee Tuesday called for a collective fight against terrorism as he welcomed a delegation led by Macedonia's Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki. Chatterjee also emphasised the need for reforming the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), taking into account the changing complexion of global realities.