The INDIA bloc has nominated Congress leader K Suresh as its candidate for the Speaker's position in opposition to Om Birla, citing the ruling National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) failure to adhere to the tradition of offering the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker's position to the Opposition.Â
On Tuesday, Congress leader KC Venugopal and DMK's TR Baalu exited Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's office, refusing to support the NDA candidate Birla without the assurance of the Deputy Speaker's position for the Opposition. Venugopal noted that the BJP declined to commit to providing the Deputy Speaker's post to the opposition.
Despite efforts by Union ministers Amit Shah, JP Nadda, and Rajnath Singh to persuade opposition leaders to endorse the NDA nominee, the attempts were unsuccessful. Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Lalan Singh accused the Congress of setting conditions and stated that the ruling alliance was open to discussing their demand during the Deputy Speaker election.
Sources revealed that over ten sets of nominations were submitted in support of Birla's candidacy, including endorsements from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Shah, Singh, Nadda, and BJP allies like TDP, JD(U), JD(S), and LJP (R). In contrast, three sets of nominations were filed in support of K Suresh, a Dalit leader and an eight-term MP.
