NEW DELHI: The Centre is yet to fill the post of Deputy Speaker in Lok Sabha, which has been vacant for the last six years. Constitutional experts and Opposition parties say that it violates the Constitution, which guarantees an important place for the Deputy Speaker in the parliamentary system.
While the government did not appoint a Deputy Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha, Opposition members point out that there is a lack of intent on the government’s part to fill the vacancy in the 18th Lok Sabha, which will complete a year in June.
A senior Congress MP said that though Opposition members have raised the issue of the Deputy Speaker in their meetings with the Speaker, there has been no progress on filling the post.
“The Speaker says that the government has to set the ball rolling on the Deputy Speaker. The government doesn’t want to give the post to the Opposition. By Parliamentary convention, the post goes to the Opposition parties,” said the leader.
The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha saw unprecedented showdown between the NDA and the Opposition over the election of the Lok Sabha Speaker. The contest for the Speaker post, the fourth instance in the history of Independent India and the first in nearly 50 years, was necessitated after the Opposition and the government failed to reach a consensus on the issue of the post of Deputy Speaker.
Though Speakers have been chosen mostly by consensus, the Opposition argues that it was compelled to field its candidate after the Modi government refused to concede the Deputy Speaker post to them.
Speaking to this newspaper, Constitutional expert PDT Achary says that election of the Deputy Speaker is a mandatory provision in the Constitution. “If it is not done, it means it is a violation of that other article 93. The Deputy Speaker presides over committees such as the private member’s bill and the House Budget Committee of Parliament,” he said.
Experts point out that as per Rule 8, election to the post of the Deputy Speaker “shall be held on such date as the Speaker may fix”.
The Deputy Speaker is elected once a motion proposing his or her name is moved. According to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in LS, they enjoy the same powers as the Speaker when they preside over a sitting House. According to Article 180 of the Constitution, the deputy speaker has the power to conduct the duties of the Speaker when his chair is vacant.
At present, a panel of chairpersons preside over sittings of the House in the absence of the Speaker. The panel of 10 MPs was appointed by the Speaker in last July. However, in the 16th Lok Sabha, during PM Modi’s first term, the post was held by M. Thambidurai of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
During the tenure of UPA-1, Charanjit Singh Atwal, a leader of then-BJP ally Akali Dal, held the post of Deputy Speaker. During UPA 2, the BJP’s Kariya Munda held the post as the deputy speaker.