The Times of India, June 26, 2024
BJP Tuesday came out with a long list of deputy Speakers being nominated from the same party as that of the Speaker in Lok Sabha as well as state assemblies to disapprove of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s claim that there was a convention of deputy Speaker’s post being spared for the opposition.
“It is utterly shameful that Congress is imposing an election for the exalted position of Speaker which is above and beyond partisan politics,” BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) and also shared instances when the two posts were held by the same party.
“Rahul Gandhi says convention is that deputy Speaker should be in opposition and this was a pre-condition imposed for supporting the Speaker. Such a condition is shameful,” the BJP functionary said and added, “But did his own family follow this convention he speaks of?”
When Jawaharlal Nehru was PM, M Ananthasayanam Ayyangar (1952-1956), Hukam Singh (1956-1962) and S V Krishnamoorthy Rao (1962-67) were deputy Speakers, all from Congress while Speakers were also from the same party. During Indira Gandhi’s tenure as Prime Minister, R K Khadilkar from Congress was deputy Speaker from 1967-1969, Poonawala said.
He also shared details of states governed by Congress and its allies where both the posts were held by the same party. In Bengal, TMC’s Biman Banerjee is the speaker and his party colleague Ashish Banerjee is his deputy. In Tamil Nadu, DMK’s M Appavu and K Pitchandi are speaker and deputy speaker, respectively. In Karnataka, Congress’s U T Khader Fareed is the speaker and R M Lamani is deputy speaker. In Kerala, LDF’s A N Shamseer (CPM) is speaker and Chittayam Gopakumar is deputy Speaker. The deputy speaker’s post is vacant in Congress-governed Telangana and Jharkhand, where the party is a junior ally of JMM.
“Just like pro tem Speaker issue, Congress is lying again. Perhaps even TMC doesn’t support this and hence, as per reports, is not supporting Congress’ misadventure on Speaker,” Poonawala added.
Congress held both Speaker, deputy post in Nehru & Indira era: BJPA historical analysis reveals the lack of a concrete convention for appointing deputy speakers, with instances showing both speaker and deputy speaker coming from the same party. BJP’s Amit Malviya provides insight into the strategic nature of these appointments, disproving the notion of an established tradition.
Didn’t want fight but should have got deputy Speaker post: PawarAs per my advice, Lok Sabha Speaker election should have been uncontested with the Opposition gaining the deputy Speaker role. The BJP-led NDA’s attempt for consensus was disrupted, resulting in a contest for the crucial parliamentary position.
Congress showing ‘old mentality’ of ‘dictating terms’: NDA on opposition’s fight for Speaker postNDA leaders condemn Congress’s tactics in the Lok Sabha Speaker selection process, highlighting instances of strategic nominations and power play within the opposition camp.
This news can also be viewed at: