Who Will be the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Deputy Speaker?

• Now that the dust has settled down in the aftermath of the grueling Lok Sabha campaign and the subsequent announcements of the results, the time is ripe to move on with the Parliamentary functioning without much ado. In the interim, the BJP has been made to feel defeated despite emerging as the single-largest party with 240 seats. On the other hand, the Grand Old Party is extremely gung-ho with the eventual outcome of the Lok Sabha polls having won 99 seats. Despite falling way behind the BJP’s tally, the Congress is going to the town proclaiming it as if it has won the mandate itself. Of course, several parties support the two big national entities equally basking in the glory of staying in the treasury and the opposition benches, respectively. To each his own.

PC: The Economist

• The Modi 3.0 government has been formed and the Prime Minister has earnestly started functioning with no palpable change in his style. He means business, as seen by several cabinet ministers continuing in their earlier portfolios. Now that the government formation is behind us and the first session of the Parliament will be commencing in the fourth week, it’s time to elect the crucial constitutional post of Speaker and Deputy Speaker. Expectedly, the politics surrounding this is hotting up by the day. The churn over these posts is throwing up more froth than cream. The politicization of these two constitutional offices is again worth a lament. The process started some time back. Every year, it turns a shade worse. This must be a worrying aspect for all concerned.
• BJP is likely to retain the Speaker’s post. NDA ally TDP had eyed it, which probably prompted INDIA’s stand that it would support Chandrababu Naidu’s candidate for speaker in the event of an election. Understandably, the BJP wants to bag the Speaker’s post, though to date it remains noncommittal. We’ll know soon if the BJP’s choice will be a consensus candidate or if elections will be held. We know how important the Speaker’s role is. Right from allowing questions and debate to disqualifying MPs, from deciding on defections to setting the agenda, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are Parliament’s conscience-keepers, tasked to run the House business in an orderly manner. Indeed, we know the essential attributes expected from the post.

PC: The Hindu

• It is impartiality, inspiring confidence in minority groups and opposition, and freedom from party affiliations or bias. Given the hostile political atmosphere, such words sound outdated in the republic’s 75^th Note that the 17^th Lok Sabha was the first one ever without a Deputy Speaker throughout its five-year duration though Article 93 of the Constitution requires that LS elect a Speaker, and Deputy Speaker as soon as possible. BJP allowed the vacancy, doing away with the longstanding parliamentary convention of the post given to opposition parties. The BJP must recognize the vote was for coalition and collaboration. The spirit of the people’s mandate and convention would be upheld were the post of Deputy Speaker to go to Opposition. Let’s wait.