BJP defends Mahtab as pro tem speaker instead of Suresh
Kodikunnil Suresh has eight terms but not consecutive times: Rijiju
Coming under attack from the Congress as also other Opposition party leaders for breaking the convention by appointing its 7-term MP Bhartruhari Mahtab as pro tem speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha instead of Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh despite the latter being an MP for an extra term, BJP on Friday defended its decision by saying while Mahtab’s term was uninterrupted since 1998, Suresh’s was “non-consecutive” as he lost in 1998 and 2004.
Giving reasons for the appointment of Mahtab for the post, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “Mahtab has been an LS member for seven consecutive terms without a break and at this time, he is the longestserving member.”
Stating the BJP-led NDA government has “followed the tradition”, Rijiju said in the case of Suresh – he had a total of eight terms but these were not continuous. “Any violation of the system will be felt only by those who have not read the system and its rules,” he added.
Incidentally, in the past, there have been three instances when the most senior MP has not been made the pro tem speaker. The first occasion was in 1956 when Sardar Hukam Singh was appointed to the post. Then in 1977, DN Tiwari was appointed to the post despite not being the most senior MP. And the most recent was in 2019, when Virendra Kumar was picked ahead of Maneka Gandhi.
Congress leaders slammed the government for overlooking Suresh’s claim to the post. Party leader Jairam Ramesh in a post on X said: “By convention, the MP who has served the maximum terms is appointed speaker pro tem for the first two days when oath is administered to all new MPs. The senior most MPs in the 18th Lok Sabha are Kodikunnil Suresh (INC) and Virendra Kumar (BJP), both of who are now serving their 8th term.”