The Congress on Thursday lodged a formal complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for his remarks on the Emergency soon after his election to the post on Wednesday, calling it a "travesty of parliamentary traditions" that could impact the credibility of Parliament.

The AICC general secretary in charge of organisation, K.C. Venugopal, submitted the complaint and leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, along with other leaders from the INDIA bloc, raised the issue during a meeting with the Speaker.

The INDIA leaders expressed surprise at Birla’s unexpected mention of the Emergency towards the end of the day’s proceedings, deeming it “unnecessary”.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Venugopal said they had discussed several issues, including the NEET and NET paper leaks. He clarified that such meetings were customary after the formation of a new Lok Sabha.

On whether the Emergency reference came up, Venugopal said: “This issue also came up and Rahulji, as leader of the Opposition, told the Speaker the reference could have been avoided. It was clearly a political reference... it could have been avoided.”

On Wednesday, Birla had brought up the topic of the Emergency in the Lok Sabha. The reference appeared to target the Congress, prompting protests from other parties in the INDIA bloc. Birla concluded his remarks by calling for a two-minute silence in memory of those who lost their lives during those “black days”.

In his letter, Venugopal said the Speaker making such a reference on the Emergency was deeply shocking. “Making of such a political reference from the (Speaker’s) chair is unprecedented in the annals of the history of Parliament. This coming from the chair as one of the ‘first duties’ from a newly elected Speaker assumes even graver proportions,” the letter said.

Later in the day, INDIA leaders convened to plan their strategy for the remaining part of the inaugural session. They collectively decided to push for a discussion in both the Houses on Friday to address the NEET/NET controversy.

Adjournment notices will be submitted in the Lok Sabha, while notices under Rule 267 will be submitted in the Rajya Sabha to facilitate the discussion on the NEET/ NET on Friday.