'Unilateral Decision': TMC Miffed With Congress Over K Suresh's Candidature For Lok Sabha Speaker, To Attend Meet At Kharge's House

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday said that Congress unilaterally decided to field K Suresh as INDIA Bloc’s candidate for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker and his party was not consulted.

“We were not contacted about this, there was no discussion. Unfortunately, this is a unilateral decision,” said Abhishek Banerjee while responding to reporters outside the Parliament when asked about the Congress’s decision.

TMC will attend the INDIA bloc meeting slated to take place at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence at 8:00 PM today. Derek O’Brien (Parliamentary party leader, Rajya Sabha) and Kalyan Banerjee (Chief Whip, Lok Sabha) will attend the meeting as representative of TMC.

Meanwhile, NCP-SCP Chief Sharad Pawar noted that in a discussion with the INDIA alliance, he suggested people sitting in the government should make the Lok Sabha Speaker’s post an unopposed election.

He also mentioned it was always the practice that the ruling party gets the Speaker’s post.

“I have not discussed it with anyone, it is always the practice that the ruling party gets the Speaker’s post. The Deputy Speaker’s post used to go to the opposition party but for the last 10 years after getting more seats in the Modi government, they have not accepted to give the Deputy Speaker’s post to the opposition. We had a discussion with INDIA Alliance in which I suggested that you people sitting in the government should make the Speaker’s post an unopposed election, we agree that the Speaker’s post should be unopposed. This all could be decided today, I will come to know once I go there (Delhi)…” Sharad Pawar said.

Earlier in the day, Congress MP from Kerala’s Mavelikara, K Suresh filed nomination for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker, challenging NDA pick Om Birla.