BHUBANESWAR: Amidst speculation that post of deputy Speaker will be offered to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) by the BJP, the regional outfit on June 19 opened up on the issue by stating that there has been no concrete discussion about the matter so far and a development can take place only after election of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
Leader of the BJD parliamentary party Pinaki Mishra said party supremo Naveen Patnaik will take a call on the issue if there is a proposal in this regard after the Speaker’s election.
There is intense speculation in political circles here that BJD’s Cuttack MP Bhatruhari Mahatab is likely to be next deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha as the BJP is likely to offer the post to the regional outfit.
This was for the first time that any senior leader from the regional outfit has openly spoke on the issue.
Though it was expected that the matter will crop up at the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Odisha Chief Minister at New Delhi on June 11, the issue did not come up for discussion.
The official line of the BJD so far has been that no such offer has come from the BJP, though sources in the saffron outfit here maintained both the parties have softened their approach towards each other after the elections.
Sources, however, said the BJP had offered the post of deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha to the BJD in 2018, but the regional outfit did not show any interest.
Meanwhile, the BJD has decided to extend support to NDA’s Speaker candidate for Lok Sabha Om Birla.
Mishra said a resolution in this regard was passed at the BJD parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday.
“The BJP, which has a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, has nominated Om Birla for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker and sought our support for him. Since we have always had constructive cooperation with the Centre, we will support the proposal,” he said.