Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Pays Tribute to Former Speaker Bali Ram Bhagat on His Birth Anniversary

New Delhi, October 7, 2026: Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla today paid floral tributes to former Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Bali Ram Bhagat in the Central Hall of the Constitution House to mark his birth anniversary. Shri Utpal Kumar Singh, Secretary General of the Lok Sabha, also paid his respects to Shri Bhagat on the occasion.

A freedom fighter, Shri Bali Ram Bhagat was an expert in parliamentary procedures and practices. He was elected as the Speaker of the Fifth Lok Sabha on January 5, 1976. Throughout his parliamentary career, he served as a member of the interim Parliament as well as the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth Lok Sabhas, representing the Lok Sabha a total of seven times.

As a Union Minister, Shri Bhagat held portfolios for several critical departments, including Finance, Planning, Defence, External Affairs, Foreign Trade and Supplies, and Steel and Heavy Engineering. In administrative services, he served as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh for four months starting in February 1993, and later as the Governor of Rajasthan from June 30, 1993, to May 1, 1998.

During his tenure as Speaker, Shri Bali Ram Bhagat emphasized the philosophy that the Speaker is a servant of the House and is equally connected to all sections of the House. He expressed a steadfast commitment to performing his duties with impartiality. Under his leadership, the first conference of the 'Committee of Chairmen on Government Assurances' was organized in March 1976. Additionally, the 'Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies' (PRIDE), formerly known as BPST, was established in the same year and remains an important wing of the Lok Sabha Secretariat today.

Shri Bali Ram Bhagat passed away on January 2, 2011, in New Delhi. Shri Om Birla described his public life as a multifaceted journey spanning the freedom struggle, parliamentary democracy, administration, and social concerns.