Following cabinet minister Rajnath Singh's outreach to Opposition leaders on behalf of the government to build consensus for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker positions in the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated that the Opposition is willing to support the NDA's Speaker candidate, provided the Deputy Speaker post goes to the Opposition.
In an interaction with the media on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi said, “We have said to Rajnath Singh that we will support their Speaker (candidate) but the convention is that the post of Deputy Speaker be given to opposition."
"Today it is written in the newspaper that PM Modi has said that the Opposition should cooperate with the government constructively. Rajnath Singh called Mallikarjun Kharge and he asked him to extend support to the Speaker. The entire Opposition said that we would support the speaker, but the convention is that the Deputy Speaker post should be given to the opposition. Rajnath Singh said that he would call back Mallikarjun Kharge but he has not done that yet...PM Modi is asking for cooperation from Opposition but our leader is getting insulted," Gandhi added.
If the Opposition INDIA bloc announces its own candidate for the Deputy Speaker position, it would mark the first time elections are held for the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Traditionally, both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker have been elected by consensus between the ruling party and the Opposition since independence.
The election for the Lok Sabha Speaker is scheduled for June 26, followed by President Murmu's address to a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament on June 27. The NDA holds a clear majority in the 543-member Lok Sabha with 293 MPs, while the Opposition INDIA bloc has 234 MPs.
