New Delhi: Kota MP Om Birla on Tuesday 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 here that 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, 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 an consensus candidate and criticised the opposition for putting forth conditions.
Democracy cannot be run on conditions, he asserted.
The opposition INDIA bloc has fielded Congress leader K Suresh as its candidate for the speaker’s post.
Meanwhile, accusing the ruling National Democratic Alliance of not following the convention of giving Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker’s position to the opposition, the INDIA bloc on Tuesday fielded Congress leader K Suresh as its candidate for the Speaker’s position against Om Birla.
Congress leader K C Venugopal and DMK’s T R Baalu walked out of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s office, refusing to endorse NDA candidate Birla without being offered the Deputy Speaker’s position.
Venugopal said the BJP refused to give a commitment on offering the Deputy Speaker’s post to the opposition.
Union ministers Amit Shah and J P Nadda besides Singh tried to persuade opposition leaders to endorse the NDA nominee but in vain.
Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Lalan Singh accused the Congress of putting up conditions, adding the ruling alliance was willing to discuss their demand when the election for Deputy Speaker’s takes place.
Sources said over 10 sets of nominations were filed in support of Birla’s candidature, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Shah, Singh and Nadda, and BJP allies like TDP, JD(U), JD(S) and LJP (R).
Three sets of nominations were filed in support of Suresh, a Dalit leader and eight-term MP.