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Lok Sabha Speaker election: It’s NDA’s Om Birla vs INDIA bloc’s Kodikunnil Suresh
Kodikunnil Suresh of Congress files nomination as INDIA bloc candidate; Om Birla files nomination for Speaker’s post as NDA consensus candidate
Kodikunnil Suresh of the Congress on June 25 filed the nomination for the post of Lok Sabha speaker as the INDIA bloc candidate.
Also Read: Lok Sabha Speaker election updates
Congress leader K.C. Venugopal said the Opposition will contest Speaker’s election and accused the govt of being non-committal on giving Deputy Speaker’s post to the Opposition.
Watch: K. Suresh files nomination; Rahul Gandhi says Modi govt not cooperating
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PTI
Senior Cabinet Minister Rajnath Singh had reached out to the Opposition leaders on behalf of the government in a bid to build consensus for the post of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament. But, Mr. Venugopal and DMK’s T.R. Baalu walked out of Rajnath Singh’s office, refusing to endorse the NDA’s nominee for the Speaker’s post.
NDA candidate OM Birla files nomination
Meanwhile, Kota MP Om Birla filed nomination for the post of the Lok Sabha Speaker as an NDA consensus candidate, a position he held in the previous House.
JD(U) leader and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh told reporters in New Delhi that Mr. Birla’s name was decided unanimously by all NDA parties and that senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh also reached out to the Opposition for their support.
Hitting out at the Opposition, Mr. Lalan Singh said they wanted a decision on the post of Deputy Speaker immediately despite Rajnath Singh requesting that everyone should sit together and discuss the issue when the time comes for the selection.
His Cabinet colleague Piyush Goyal said it would have been better to have a consensus candidate and criticised the Opposition for putting forth conditions.
Democracy cannot be run on conditions, he asserted.
‘Will support govt’s choice if Dy Speaker post given to Oppn.’
Earlier in the day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Opposition will support the government on the Lok Sabha Speaker’s choice if the convention is followed and the Deputy Speaker’s post is given to the Opposition bloc.
He also said that Mr. Singh was yet to get back to them on the Opposition’s demand for the Deputy Speaker’s post.
Mr. Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants constructive cooperation but has not returned party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s call on the demand, as promised, which amounts to an insult.
“The entire Opposition has said that they will support the government on the Speaker’s post, but the convention is that the post of Deputy Speaker is given to the Opposition,” he said.
“Union Minister Rajnath Singh had called Mallikarjun Kharge ji and has said that he will return his call, but it has not been done. While Modi ji wants constructive cooperation they are insulting our leader by not returning the call,” he told reporters.
“The intention of Modi is 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.
(With inputs from PTI)
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