Days before the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, President Droupadi Murmu appointed seven-term MP from Odisha, Bhartruhari Mahtab, as the pro-tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha, causing political controversy. The Congress claimed this appointment has broke tradition of appointing the highest term MP as pro-tem Speaker.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju explained that President Murmu appointed Mahtab under Article 95(1) of the Constitution to act as Speaker until a new one is elected. Additionally, the President appointed Suresh Kodikunnil, Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu, Radha Mohan Singh, Faggan Singh Kulaste, and Sudip Bandyopadhyay to assist Mahtab administer the oath to the newly elected Members of the 18th Lok Sabha.
The 66-year-old MP recently left the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) to join the BJP. He secured a ticket from Cuttack (Odisha) — a constituency he has represented six times for the BJD and now for the seventh time for the BJP.
Following Mahtab’s appointment, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh slammed the decision, stating that traditionally, the MP with the most terms is appointed as pro-tem Speaker for the initial oath-taking session. Ramesh noted that the senior-most MPs in the 18th Lok Sabha are Kodikunnil Suresh (INC) and Virendra Kumar (BJP), both serving their eighth term. Since Virendra Kumar is a Union Minister, it was anticipated that Kodikunnil Suresh would be appointed as pro-tem Speaker. Instead, the role was given to Mahtab, a seven-term MP.
ALso Read:Lok Sabha Speaker election to take place on June 26
KC Venugopal, the Congress General Secretary in charge of organization, stated that the appointment was “another attempt to destroy Parliamentary norms.” “Bhartruhari Mahtab (a 7-term MP) has been appointed the pro-tem Speaker, superseding Kodikunnil Suresh, who will be entering his eighth term. It is an unquestioned norm that the senior-most MP presides over the proceedings of the House before the Speaker is duly elected. It is a matter of immense pride for our party that K Suresh, a leader from the marginalised section of society,has achieved this feat of being 8-term MP,” said Venugopal.
“The government should explain why it chose to overlook K Suresh, what was the factor that disqualified him from this post?” Venugopal questioned.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore remarked that the appointment was Rijiju’s “first mistake” as Parliamentary Affairs Minister. Tagore questioned, “Seven-term BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab was chosen as pro-tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha over senior-most Dalit MP Kodikkunnil Suresh of Congress. What are the minister’s intentions?”
In a new Lok Sabha, the Speaker is elected by a simple majority. Until then, a pro-tem Speaker is appointed to perform essential duties. ‘Pro-tem’ means ‘for the time being’ or ‘temporarily’. The primary duty of the pro-tem Speaker is to administer oaths to new MPs.