Deputy Speaker’s post may be new point of contention
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chose to maintain a stoic silence on the issue of appointing a Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha, even as the opposition announced it will put up a candidate for the election, if and when it happens.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chose to maintain a stoic silence on the issue of appointing a Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha, even as the opposition announced it will put up a candidate for the election, if and when it happens.
In the 17th Lok Sabha, the position of the deputy Speaker remained vacant.
Soon after NDA’s nominee Om Birla was elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker on Wednesday for a second consecutive term, the focus shifted to the deputy Speaker’s post.
The government and the opposition have locked horns over the position, with the latter asserting that a member from the opposition bloc should be elected to the post as per convention. The stalemate led to the opposition not giving unconditional support to Birla and an election was held after Congress’s K Suresh filed his nomination for the Speaker’s post.
Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Kiren Rijiju who reached out to the opposition for securing support for Birla’s election did not say whether the opposition’s demand will be met. Several opposition bloc leaders said they were told that a discussion on the deputy’s position would be held separately later.
Shiv Sena’s (UBT) Arvind Sawant said the government is yet to convey its stance on the issue.
Responding to a question on when the process is likely to begin, a BJP leader said the party leadership will take a call on the issue.
In the 17th Lok Sabha, the position of the deputy Speaker remained vacant. Prior to that AIADMK’s M Thambi Durai was Deputy Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha when BJP’s Sumitra Mahajan was the Speaker. The AIADMK was then an ally of the BJP.
With their numbers having gone up, a resurgent opposition has been underscoring the need to stick to convention and offer the deputy Speaker’s post to them. From the 6th to the 16th Lok Sabha the Deputy Speaker’s position was held by leaders from the opposition.
According to Article 95(1), the Deputy Speaker performs the duties of the Speaker when the latter isn’t around. The Deputy Speaker has the same general powers as the Speaker when presiding over the House. While there is no time frame for the appointment of the Deputy Speaker, the rules call for the appointment “as soon as may be”. Just as the Speaker, the deputy too is elected from among the Lok Sabha members by a simple majority of members present and voting.