Stage set for LS Speaker’s election as talks fail

NEW DELHI: As the 18th Lok Sabha is formally constituted after the oath-taking proceedings of the newly elected MPs, the ruling BJP-led NDA and a combative Opposition looks set for a face-off on the issue of electing the new Speaker, a rare instance since the Speaker’s choice has always been finalised through consensus.

On a day of hectic political activities and a series of meetings, the NDA government on Tuesday indicated its preference for continuity in its third term by fielding Om Birla, who was Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha, for the key post again. However, its bid for consensus was thwarted by the Opposition, which forced an election by nominating Kodikunnil Suresh of the Congress as its candidate.

The Opposition’s last-minute decision to go for a rare contest came after senior BJP leaders did not agree to its precondition that the INDIA bloc must be offered the post of Deputy Speaker in exchange for supporting Birla, who has the numbers on his side to emerge as the winner in case of an election.

A brief interaction involving Congress leader K.C. Venugopal and DMK’s T R Baalu from the Opposition side, and Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and J.P. Nadda, who is also the BJP president, at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s office in Parliament to evolve a consensus ended in acrimony as both sides stuck to their positions.

Both Opposition leaders walked out, with Venugopal accusing the government of not following the “convention” of appointing an Opposition candidate for the Deputy Speaker’s position and announcing the decision to field a candidate against Birla.

Union ministers Piyush Goyal of the BJP and Lalan Singh of the JD(U) accused the Opposition of resorting to pressure politics and setting forth preconditions despite senior ministers’ assurances that their demands would be considered when the time to pick the Deputy Speaker arrives.

“There can be no room for pressure politics,” Union minister and JD(U) leader Lalan Singh told reporters, while Goyal stated that democracy cannot be run based on preconditions. The scheduled day for electing the Speaker is Wednesday, and if an election occurs, it will be only the third time in Lok Sabha’s history, according to official sources.

With the NDA having 293 MPs and the INDIA bloc 233, the numbers clearly favour Birla in Lok Sabha, which currently has 542 members after Rahul Gandhi resigned from one of the two seats he was elected from. At least three independent members also support the Opposition.

Seasoned BJP leader Rajnath Singh took the lead in reaching out to Opposition parties over the issue as Birla emerged as the NDA’s consensus choice and met with senior leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Suresh said it is not about winning or losing but about the convention that the Speaker will be from the ruling party and the Deputy Speaker from the Opposition.

“During the last two Lok Sabhas, they denied us the Deputy Speaker’s post, saying we were not recognized as the Opposition. Now that we are recognized, the Deputy Speaker’s post is our right. But they are not ready to give it to us. Until 11:50 this morning, we were waiting for a reply from the government’s side, but they did not give any,” he told reporters.

More than 10 sets of nominations (called notices of motion) were filed in support of Birla’s candidacy, including from Prime Minister Modi, Union ministers Shah, Singh, and Nadda, and members of BJP allies like TDP, JD(U), JD(S), and LJP (R).

Three sets of nominations were filed in support of Suresh.

Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Opposition would support the government’s choice for Lok Sabha Speaker if the convention is followed and the Deputy Speaker’s post is given to the Opposition bloc.

He also mentioned that Defence Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh had not yet responded to their demand for the Deputy Speaker’s post.

Gandhi said Prime Minister Modi wants constructive cooperation but has not returned the call of party president Mallikarjun Kharge, as promised, which he sees as an insult.

“The entire Opposition has stated that they will support the government’s choice for Speaker, but convention dictates that the Deputy Speaker’s post belongs to the Opposition,” he said.

“Union minister Rajnath Singh called Mallikarjun Kharge ji and said he would call back, but it hasn’t happened. While Modi ji wants constructive cooperation, they are insulting our leader by not returning the call,” he told reporters.

“The intentions of Modi are not clear as the post of Deputy Speaker should be with the Opposition. But Narendra Modi ji says something and does something else,” he alleged.

A rift that emerged on Tuesday morning within the INDIA bloc over Congress’ decision to field Suresh as the Speaker candidate on behalf of the Opposition, especially when the Trinamool Congress (TMC) did not sign Suresh’s nomination paper, was later resolved in the evening.

TMC decided to send its senior Lok Sabha member Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar to the INDIA bloc meeting in the evening at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence regarding the Speaker election.

TMC confirmed that no one from Congress had contacted them or informed them about Suresh’s candidature as the joint nominee for the INDIA bloc in the Lok Sabha Speaker election. TMC leaders emphasised that the party had won 29 seats without any alliance in the state, which is more than the last Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Additionally, the General Secretary of All India Trinamool Congress and Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee stated that the Trinamool Congress Party was not consulted before this decision. Speaking to the media about K. Suresh’s candidature for Lok Sabha Speaker, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee said: “We were not contacted about this, and there was no discussion. Unfortunately, this is a unilateral decision.”

Later, Congress senior leader and Lower House member Rahul Gandhi spoke separately to Abhishek Banerjee while attending the session inside Lok Sabha. During the lunch break, TMC’s Parliamentary party leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held an online meeting with Abhishek Banerjee, Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, and Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien. TMC sources confirmed these discussions. Subsequently, Bandyopadhyay conveyed the message to other Lok Sabha members of TMC at their Parliamentary party office inside the Parliament complex.

Both Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have issued whips to their respective MPs, requiring their presence in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, for the crucial Speaker’s election.

If Birla, the BJP MP from Kota, is elected, it will be the fifth time that a Speaker would serve beyond the tenure of one Lok Sabha. Congress leader Balram Jakhar is the only presiding officer to have served two complete terms, spanning the seventh and eighth Lok Sabhas.

A third-term MP, Birla has risen through the ranks in the BJP. Suresh, his rival for the Speaker’s post, is an eight-term MP from Kerala and hails from the Dalit community.

If a division of votes takes place in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, paper slips will be used, as the electronic system is not yet operational in the new Lok Sabha where members are still in the process of being allocated their seats.

Meanwhile, as many as 26 Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, including party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, took oaths on Tuesday.

The MPs who took oath also included Yusuf Pathan and Kirti Azad. Shatrughan Sinha did not, however, take oath on Tuesday. Veteran Trinamool MP Sougata Roy took oath in English like June Maliah, Sajda Ahmed and Pratima Mondal.