Pro tem Speaker row: TMC, Congress, DMK join hands, reject offers to assist BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab

KOLKATA: The INDIA bloc is likely to reject the roles given to Congress MP K Suresh, Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay and DMK's TR Baalu to assist pro tem speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab. The decision was taken on Saturday after telephonic conversations among seniors of the three parties.
The INDIA bloc has strongly opposed the manner in which Suresh - an eight-term MP from Kerala - has been overlooked for BJP MP Mahtab - a seven-time lawmaker from Cuttack.According to convention, the senior-most MP is appointed pro tem speaker.
The pro tem speaker, along with those appointed to assist him, will administer oaths to the newly elected Lok Sabha members from June 24 to June 26. The Lok Sabha is expected to elect the Speaker on June 26. Last week, President Droupadi Murmu appointed Mahtab to perform the duties of the Lok Sabha presiding officer till the election of the Speaker. A panel of senior lawmakers - Suresh, Baalu, Bandyopadhyay, and BJP MPs Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste were appointed to assist Mahtab.
A senior Trinamool MP said: "We have decided to register our protest. The manner in which Suresh was overlooked - he is not only an eight-time MP but also a Dalit - defying Parliamentary norms to pick a BJP MP is wrong. None of the INDIA bloc MPs appointed to assist the pro tem speaker will take their roles. This was decided after a joint meeting on Saturday."
BJP, however, maintains that Suresh's eight terms (four from Adoor and four from Mavelikara) did not come without a break, but Mahtab has been winning Cuttack at a stretch since 1998. While he won six times as a BJD candidate, he won on a BJP ticket in 2024.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha special session starting on Monday, this is also the second instance in which Trinamool, Congress and DMK have jointly resolved to take on BJP. Earlier, Bengal CM and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee wrote to PM Narendra Modi against the hasty and arbitrary push to introduce the new criminal law codes from July 1. Congress and DMK, too, had submitted dissent notes last Nov, opposing the bills.