 "Appeal Congress to elect Lok Sabha Speaker unanimously: Kiren Rijiju")
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday made a fresh appeal to the Congress for unanimous election of the Lok Sabha Speaker.
The Congress has fielded eight-term Lok Sabha member Kodikunnil Suresh against BJP member Om Birla, who is the NDA nominee for the post.
"It is better for all of us to elect the Speaker unanimously. I think we still have time and we will make one more appeal to the Congress party but if we are pushed into the election, we are prepared," Rijiju told reporters here.
The election of the Lok Sabha Speaker is scheduled for Wednesday.
"We all are colleagues in the House and we have to always work together. There is no doubt about that. When we make them (Opposition) an offer, we expect that the offer is accepted gracefully. That has not been done," the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said.
Rijiju asserted that the ruling NDA has the numbers to elect its nominee as the Speaker.
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"It is my appeal to the Congress to give it a thought again and not to contest the Speaker's post. We have the numbers, but it is not the question of numbers," the minister said.
Responding to questions, Rijiju said he did not believe in setting any pre-conditions for the unanimous election of the Speaker.
"Let us concentrate and elect the Speaker first and then we can discuss the other issues later," he said when asked about the Congress demand to give the post of Deputy Speaker to the opposition.