“We are ready to support Speaker but Deputy Speaker should be given to Opposition”: Congress’ KC Venugopal

New Delhi [India], June 25 (ANI): Congress leader KC Venugopal on Tuesday said that the Opposition was ready to unanimously support the NDA candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker position on the condition that it give a commitment on giving the post of the Deputy Speaker to them.

The INDIA bloc announced Congress MP K Suresh as its candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker election.

This was announced after Venugopal and DMK’s TR Baalu met BJP leader and Union Minister Rajnath Singh.

“We are still waiting; if they are ready to give us the Deputy Speaker post, we are ready to elect the NDA’s candidate unanimously. Yesterday, PM Modi talked about the consensus for the smooth functioning of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. We are ready to support the Speaker suggested by the government’s side, provided they also honour the opposition. We have witnessed for the last few years that the Speakers will be from the government’s side and the Deputy Speaker from the Opposition,” Venugopal said.

“When the UPA was in power, we gave the Deputy Speaker to the NDA for 10 years. The convention is so in the Lok Sabha that the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha is given to the Opposition,” Venugopal said

Further, the Congress leader said that after discussing with Mallikarjun Kharge, Rajnath Singh didn’t respond till 11 am on Tuesday morning.

“Rajnath Singh called Mallikarjun Kharge yesterday. Mallikarjun Kharge said we are happy to support your candidate but we want the post of Deputy Speaker to which Rajnath Singh told him that we will consult PM Modi and revert. Till 9 am in the morning, Rajnath ji didn’t call. When Kharge ji called him he said that he will talk to the Prime Minister. We waited for the government’s response till 11 am. Then I and TR Baalu were called into Rajnath Singh’s office and was asked to sign to support their candidate. That is not the fair play,” Venugopal said.

Meanwhile, efforts by the BJP’s top leadership to broker a consensus on the position of the speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha came to naught when the INDIA bloc decided to field 8-time MP K Suresh for the post. His nomination followed the filing of a nomination by the BJP’s Kota MP Om Birla for the post.

Birla was the Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha as well.

The elections for the post will be held on June 26.

The NDA, which has 293 MPs in the 543-member Lok Sabha, enjoys a clear majority, with the opposition INDIA bloc having 234 MPs.