LS Dy Speaker’s post: BJP not to give in easily

NEW DELHI, July 11: A contest for the post of Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha loomed round the corner with the BJP today ruling out conceding it to the Congress. The party now wants the Congress to support its candidate for the post as a quid pro quo gesture for the support offered by the ruling combine to the latter for the post of Deputy Chairperson in the Rajya Sabha.

“The Congress is now talking of healthy tradition, claiming that post of Deputy Speaker should go to the main opposition party,” remarked BJP general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu, adding, “But they forget that it had put up its candidate for the post of Speaker.”

With the Speaker’s post having gone to Telugu Desam party, Naidu said the post of Deputy Speaker should come to BJP as it was the largest party in the ruling coalition.