Smooth transition of power a salient feature of Indian democracy: Om Birla Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla (ANI) Birla's comments came against the backdrop of the unprecedented storming of the US Capitol Keeping the people at the centre of governance has been the basic concept of the Constitution and has deepened the faith of citizens in democracy, he said Share Via Read Full Story The smooth transition of power after 17 parliamentary elections and over 300 Assembly polls in the country since independence is a salient feature of Indian democracy, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Friday. Birla's comments came against the backdrop of the unprecedented storming of the US Capitol by outgoing President Donald Trump's supporters on Wednesday and thus disrupting the constitutional process of counting and certification of the Electoral College votes of the presidential elections.