Balayogi firm on Dy Speaker issue

NEW DELHI, July 22: Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi is flexing his muscles on the Deputy Speaker issue and has put the BJP in a spot by ...

NEW DELHI, July 22: Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi is flexing his muscles on the Deputy Speaker issue and has put the BJP in a spot by insisting that the post be filled in this session (which ends in a week). The BJP is in a quandary, largely because the support of allies like the Samata Party and the Trinamool Congress is in doubt.

Some leaders of both the parties have indicated that they prefer to support Congress candidate P M Sayeed. If this happens, the BJP won’t have the numbers to get its own nominee elected. The BJP is determined to see that one of its own MPs is made deputy speaker, arguing that the Speaker (who is normally from the ruling party) is not from the BJP but from the TDP, which is a supporting party.

Balayogi is learnt to have conveyed to the Government that the next session would be held only after three-and-a-half months and that it was not seemly for the post to be left vacant for so long. A number of Parliamentary committees chaired by the Deputy Speaker are headless at present.So is the Constitution Club, which is also headed by the Deputy Speaker. Convention demands that the Speaker consult the Government before notifying the election of the Deputy Speaker. Balayogi’s hands are tied since the Government is not taking a stand on the issue. The election has to be notified eight days in advance; but sources close to the Speaker said that he can relax the rules and reduce the time to two days.

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But with TC chief Mamata Banerjee stating that Sayeed would not be a bad choice and Samata Party MPs like Digvijay Singh and Abdul Ghafoor openly supporting Sayeed, BJP leaders are privately expressing the view that the election should be put off until the winter session of Parliament. Political observers point out that if, as the BJP claims, all its allies will support its nominee, there should be no hesitation in notifying the election now.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is scheduled to hold a meeting of allies on Friday to discuss the issue. However, at the last such meeting, the PMwas authorised by all the allies to choose the candidate; and it was after the meet that divergent views were expressed.

SP leaders George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar have reportedly assured the BJP that when it comes to voting, their MPs would vote for BJP’s candidate, regardless of the views being expressed by some at the moment. Mamata is scheduled to come to Delhi tonight. The BJP hopes to discuss the deputy speaker issue with her before the PM’s meet with allies.