BHOPAL: Former minister Dr Govind Singh has demanded that the post of Deputy Speaker should be reserved for the Congress MLA, while the BJP has reacted to the demand.
The three-day Vidhan Sabha session is to start on December 28 next month. At the session, along with many important businesses, the issues of election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker are also scheduled. The Congress, however, fears that the BJP might not give the post of Deputy Speaker to the Congress.
Earlier, after the Assembly elections of 2018, both the posts were taken by Congress MLAs —NP Prajapati for the Speaker’s post and Hina Kanwre for the Deputy Speaker’s post.
Under a normal adjustment process, the post of Speaker goes to the ruling party and the post of Deputy Speaker goes to the Opposition.
The name of Dr Singh for the Deputy Speaker’s post has been doing the rounds, as also for the Leader of the Opposition’s post. Dr Singh, while talking to the media, stated that the BJP should reserve the Deputy Speaker’s post for the Congress MLA. He added that it is healthy democratic practice and the BJP, which is in a majority with 126 MLAs, should give the post to the Congress.
BJP’s viewpoint
On the other hand, the BJP blames the Congress for having followed non-democratic practices while they were in power in 2018. MLA Shailendra Jain said that, in the 2013 elections, the BJP had made way for Congress MLA Rajendra Singh to take over as Deputy Speaker. And, in the earlier Assemblies of 2003 and 2008, the party had followed the same procedure. But, when the Congress came to power in the 2018 elections, they forgot all democratic niceties and now, they are blaming the BJP on the issue.
