Deputy Speaker Poll Put Off

Keen to ensure that the Trinamool Congress has some say in the BJP-led coalition and is not taken for granted, party chief Mamata Bannerjee yesterday succeeded in getting the election to the post of deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha postponed. She favoured a consensus candidate, and was not too keen on supporting BJP candidate Rita Verma.

Quite a few within the coalition wanted the post to be given to the opposition as per parliamentary traditions. Since speaker GMC Balayogi belongs to a constituent of the coalition, convention demands that the deputy's post should go to the joint opposition candidate, P M Sayeed. However, BJP wanted its own person for the job.

 

Yesterday, amidst high drama and minutes before filing of nominations by the two candidates before the 12 noon deadline, the BJP and the Congress parties reached a last-minute agreement for postponement of the contest to try for a consensus. At a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Banerjee demanded that efforts be made for a consensus as she felt the house should not be divided.

She suggested the election be postponed till next session by when a consensus could be worked out. This was strongly supported by AIADMK leader R. Muthiah who felt both sides should not go ahead with the contest for the present. Biju Janata Dal leader Naveen Patnaik and independent member Maneka Gandhi asserted the ruling coalition should go ahead with the contest but what appeared to clinch the matter was the reported refusal of Banerjee and Muthiah to sign the motion proposing Verma's candidature.

Later, Vajpayee asked parliamentary affairs minister M L Khurana to discuss the issue with leader of the opposition Sharad Pawar who agreed on the postponment at a meeting convened by Balayogi. A joint statement issued after the meeting by Khurana and Pawar said `'the proposal of Mamata Banerjee for postponement of the election of deputy speaker in order to arrive at a consensus was considered and a joint decision was arrived at not to file nominations by both candidates today.''

Congress spokesman Ajit Jogi said the party would go ahead with a contest if efforts for a consensus failed.

He denied there was any secret understanding between Vajpayee and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

He also did not agree with a suggestion that the party favoured postponement because it feared defeat.