New Delhi, May 27
Even though there was no indication yet from the Congress whether it would follow the tradition of offering the Deputy Speaker’s position to the Opposition, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had already started lobbying to corner that position.
According to sources, SAD chief Parkash Singh Badal urged the two top leaders of the BJP, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Mr L K Advani, to leave the Deputy Speaker’s position for the SAD if the Congress-led UPA Government offered the post to the Opposition.
Mr Badal was also understood to have proposed the name of senior SAD leader and his loyalist, Mr Charanjit Singh Atwal, for the post.
Mr Atwal, who had won from the Phillaur Lok Sabha constituency in Punjab, had been the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly during the chief ministership of Parkash Singh Badal. Mr Atwal was also associated with the Commonwealth Parliamentarians Association.
This move of Mr Badal had now put the BJP in a fix as it was wanting to propose the name of senior party leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra for that position. The BJP might make Mr Malhotra the Chief Whip of the party in Lok Sabha.
