A resurgent opposition in the Lok Sabha saw evidence of a broader consultative mechanism between allies on Tuesday when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee were seen discussing the nomination of K Suresh for the Speaker’s post, a move that has been dubbed unilateral by Mr Banerjee’s party.
While the oath-taking ceremony of 281 remaining MPs was taking place, the camera panned to Mr Gandhi and Mr Banerjee, who were sitting on the front row of the opposition benches and could be seen locked in an animated converstation. Sources said the two leaders were discussing the Congress’ nomination of its leader K Suresh as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
The Congress’ decision, which will force an election from the post of the Speaker for the first time since 1976, has upset the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, which has said it was not consulted on the issue and that it will take a call on supporting Mr Suresh.
The Congress, which was expecting Mr Suresh to also be appointed the pro-tem Speaker, has said it decided to nominate him for the post at the last minute when the government did not respond to its demand for the Deputy Speaker post. The Deputy Speaker is traditionally a member of an opposition party. Mr Suresh has also sought the Trinamool Congress’ support.
Speaking to NDTV, Senior Trinamool leader Sudip Bandopadhyay said, “I saw on TV and came to know… Derek O’Brien came and asked me and I said there has been no discussion… We will have a meeting and discuss (supporting Mr Suresh) and our leader will take a call… it is a party decision”.
The discussion between Rahul Gandhi and Abhishek Banerjee comes in the backdrop of improved ties between the Trinamool Congress and the INDIA alliance after the Lok Sabha polls, in which the party had decided to go it alone, sparking speculation on whether it was planning to leave the bloc. In a much improved show, the INDIA alliance managed to win 232 seats, ensuring that the BJP did not get a majority on its own, and the NDA was reduced to 292 constituencies, down 60 from the 352 it had won in 2019.
The positions of the Congress and the Trinamool Congress have also been strengthened. The national party increased its tally to 99 from 52 while the Trinamool fought off a strong challenge from the BJP and clinched 29 seats, six more than it did in 2019.
