Why in the news?

• Delhi Legislative Assembly hosted a two‑day All‑India Speakers’ Conference to mark the 100th anniversary of Vithalbhai Patel becoming the President of the Central Legislative Assembly, the colonial precursor to today’s Parliament.

Vithalbhai Patel

• Birth: Born on 27 September 1873
• Who was Vithalbhai Patel?:
  • Elder brother of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
  • He was an Indian legislator and political leader.
  • He was co-founder of the Swarajya Party.
• Contributions:
  • Patel joined the Indian National Congress and participated in the struggle for independence.
  • He became a member of the Bombay legislative Council.
  • He left the Indian National Congress after the withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement and co-founded Swarajya Party.
  • He was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly in 1923.
  • The first Indian to get elected as the President (Speaker) of the Central Legislative Assembly (1925).
  • Established an independent office for the Assembly, separate from Executive control.
  • Instituted the convention of neutrality of the Speaker, exercising casting votes only to maintain the status quo.
  • Bridged colonial legislative norms to independent India’s parliamentary decorum.
• Death: He passed away in 1933 in Geneva, Switzerland.