Congress offers Dy Speaker's post to NDA

To avoid a confrontation with the Opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over the election of CPI(M) leader Somnath Chatterjee as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) offered the post of Deputy Speaker to the NDA.

"I discussed the issue with senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani and NDA Convenor George Fernandes today and conveyed the offer of Deputy Speakership to the Opposition," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters here.

Asked about their response, Azad said, "Let them discuss the issue among themselves. They will get back to us. We cannot expect an immediate response at the very first meeting."

Fernandes had yesterday charged the Congress-led UPA of flagrantly defying convention and declaring its choice of Speaker without informing the Opposition even though convention demanded that the Speaker be decided by consensus.

The offer of the post was virtually a fait accompli by the Congress, which indicated that there could be no negotiation on the Speaker's job. In any case, the numbers are against the NDA.

Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, at a press conference today, made it clear that his party would not support anyone but Somnath Chatterjee as "the Communists are our friends and we will strengthen the secular alliance".

Singh said his party, which has 36 MPs, will not play a negative role in the election or nomination of a deputy Speaker.

The Telugu Desam Party, which is in touch with former Prime Minister VP Singh, is also learnt to be in favour of Chatterjee as the Speaker.

The Congress' calculation is that the NDA would have understood that an election for Speaker would not be in its interest and would be happy to accept the deputy Speakership offer.

In the NDA, there is a proposal to give the post of Deputy Speaker to an ally like the Akali Dal, so that there is a counterpoise to a Sikh Prime Minister. The matter is expected to be discussed at the BJP parliamentary party meeting and the NDA leaders' meeting tomorrow evening.

Yesterday, the NDA had indicated that it might field a candidate against Chatterjee. There were also suggestions that former Speaker and Nationalist Trinamool Congress MP from Tura PA Sangma should be fielded as the NDA's candidate for the job.

Both the Congress-led UPA and the BJP-led NDA have agreed that as per the rules of the Lok Sabha, Chatterjee must be the pro tem Speaker. The pro tem Speaker, who is always the seniormost MP in the House, will deliver the oath to the new MPs.