The ruling Samajwadi party steered clear of the contentious issue of the election of the deputy speaker of the state assembly on Thursday. The treasury bench claimed that the government has no role in the election of the deputy speaker and it’s the sole discretion of the Speaker of the state assembly.
The issue was raised in the state assembly on Thursday by Suresh Khanna, leader of the BJP in the lower house . through the question propriety. He said the post of the deputy speaker is lying vacant for the last over three years in the present assembly. He said the previous Bahujan Samaj Party government acting under vendetta did not allow the election to the post as this would have gone to the Samajwadi Party, the main opposition party during the BSP rule from May 2007 to March 2012.
He said the present SP government seems to be following the precedent set by the BSP. RsRsThe SP government should rise above the political considerations and refrain from pursuing the politics of vendetta to deny the post of the deputy speaker to the main opposition Bahujan Samaj party’’, said the BJP leader.
Accusing the government of practicing double standards on the issue the BJP leader said RsRs if the government is sincere on the issue of deputy speaker then it should announce the dates for the election of the deputy speaker today itself’’.
Opposing the notice of the BJP on behalf of the government, the OBCs welfare minister Ambika Chowdhary said as per the Rsrules of procedure for the conduct of the business of the UP state assembly 1958’, it’s not binding on the government to bring a resolution for the election of the deputy speaker. He said it’s the sole discretion of the Speaker of the assembly to initiate the process of the election of the deputy speaker after consultations with all the political parties.
As per the established democratic traditions the post of the deputy Speaker is held by the opposition party. For the last over 8 years the post of the deputy speaker is lying vacant. Rajesh Agarwal of the BJP was the last deputy Speaker of the UP assembly till May 2007, during the previous Samajwadi party led regime of Mulayam Singh Yadav. All the committees of the state assembly headed by the deputy speaker like the petition committee, privilege committee, question and reference committee and library committee are lying defunct for last over eight years. The deputy speaker is also the ex officio member of the rules committee, ethics committee and parliamentary record and reference committee.