Rajnath Singh's Outreach Call On Speaker, M Kharge's Deputy Speaker Reply

Upbeat after its good show in the Lok Sabha election, the Congress has dug its heels in, insisting that the Deputy Speaker post must be with the Opposition benches if the government wants a consensus on its choice for the Lok Sabha Speaker.

The government has fielded Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to build consensus on the choices for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker post, sources have told NDTV.

The BJP leaders have spoken to top Opposition leaders -- Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, DMK leader MK Stalin and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on this subject. Talks are also being held with key NDA allies Telugu Desam Party and Janata Dal United, sources have said.

The deadline to file nomination for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker is 12 pm today and an election, if any, will be held tomorrow. 

The BJP is tight-lipped about its choice for the key post, but there is a buzz that Om Birla, who served as Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha, may be repeated. Mr Birla also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning.

Another post under the spotlight is that of the Deputy Speaker. This position is traditionally given to the Opposition. However, the BJP had appointed its ally AIADMK's M Thambi Durai as Deputy Speaker in 2014. Since 2019, the post is vacant.

In both the 16th and the 17th Lok Sabha, there was no Leader of the Opposition, as the Congress did not have enough numbers. But this time, the Opposition has posted a good show in the general election, with the Congress winning 99 seats. So the party, backed by its allies in the INDIA Opposition bloc, will be pushing for the Deputy Speaker's post.

Mr Kharge has already made it clear to Mr Singh that the Deputy Speaker should be from the Opposition benches. The Congress chief has said that while the Opposition wants consensus too, healthy traditions must be followed, the sources added.

Clearing the Congress stand, party leader Rahul Gandhi said Mr Singh did not call back Mr Kharge after the latter stressed that the Deputy Speaker must be from the Opposition. "The country knows that the Prime Minister's words mean nothing. The Prime Minister says there should be cooperation, but does something else. Our leader has not received a callback yet."

The government, it is learnt, is still trying to ensure a consensus. DMK's TR Baalu and Congress's KC Venugopal have met Rajnath Singh.