‘Govt must offer Lok Sabha deputy speaker’s post to INDIA bloc’: TMC’s Derek O’Brien

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien on Saturday demanded that the Narendra Modi government offer the Lok Sabha deputy speaker’s post to a candidate from the opposition INDIA bloc.

“It is govt’s duty to run Parliament smoothly in Budget session. They must: offer Deputy Speaker in LS to INDIA candidate, allow one notice from Oppn weekly in each House to discuss issues of national importance (exam mess ; unemployment) and ensure no bulldozing of Bills,” the TMC MP said in a post on X.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh reposted Derek O’Brien’s post and added,”Couldn’t agree more. I will only add: allow Opposition leaders especially the LoPs to counter the pandemic of lies spread by the non-biological PM and his drumbeaters.”

The opposition has been pushing for the deputy speaker’s post, which lay vacant in the full tenure of 17th Lok Sabha. According to an HT report, the INDIA bloc wants Awadhesh Prasad, the Samajwadi Party MP from Faizabad for the post.

Awadhesh Prasad stunned everyone by winning the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat in Ayodhya district in the just concluded general elections. He defeated two-time sitting MP Lallu Singh by a margin of 54,567 votes.

The opposition had also pushed for a rare contest for the Lok Sabha speaker’s post by nominating Congress’ K Suresh against BJP’s Om Birla, even as it did not press for a division of votes. Birla became the speaker for a second straight term through a voice vote.

“I am telling you formally, we didn’t ask for division of votes…We didn’t ask for it because we found it appropriate that there be a consensus on the first today, that there be an atmosphere of consensus on the first day. This was a constructive step from our end. We could have asked for division (of votes),” Jairam Ramesh had said.

Parliament’s Budget Session will be held between July 22 and August 12, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Saturday. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the budget on July 23.