Support swells for Meira; Munda to be Dy Speaker

Cutting across various political affiliations, 14 motions were submitted today in favour of Congress MP Meira Kumar as the Lok Sabha Speaker.

Interestingly, three main constituents of the Third Front — the Left, J Jayalalitha’s All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) — didn’t file any motion for Kumar. Verbally, these parties have agreed to support Meira Kumar’s candidature for the Speaker’s post.

This move indicates a possible rift in the fragile, “cut and paste” Third Front that has already suffered a major jolt in cherishing its distant dream of forming the government.

While the three major constituents didn’t come out in direct support of Kumar, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) — which runs on an anti-Congress platform in Orissa — today filed a motion supporting Kumar’s candidature.

Speaking to Business Standard, BJD leader in the Lok Sabha, Arjun Charan Sethi, said: “We are neither in the Third Front nor in the NDA. Moreover, she will be the first woman Dalit Speaker. So, what is the harm in supporting her?”

Sethi also tried to play down the difference in approach of the BJD and the other Third Front constituents. “Have you heard Third Front putting up any other candidate for the Speaker’s post? No. So they too, will support Meira Kumar.”

CPI(M) leader Basudeb Acharia pleaded that his party was informed “very late” so it could not move any motion in support of Kumar. Congress sources, however, suggest that top Left leaders were informed on Saturday night soon after the Congress core committee decided on Kumar’s candidature.

The election for the Speaker’s post will take place on Wednesday.