The Hindu : New Delhi News : Azad hopeful of consensus on Rajya Sabha Dy. Chairperson

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 15, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Azad hopeful of consensus on Rajya Sabha Dy. Chairperson

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 14. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, has initiated talks with senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and others with a view to arriving at a consensus on appointing a Congress nominee to the post of Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.

Mr. Azad told reporters on Tuesday that he met the chairman of the National Democratic Alliance, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on Saturday, and the day before he met the BJP leader in the Rajya Sabha, Jaswant Singh. "The Leader of the Opposition, L.K. Advani, was away in his constituency last weekend but I will also be talking to him,'' he said. He said that he had conveyed to them that the Deputy Chairperson's post should be left to a Congress nominee, as the leading ruling party does not hold any of the positions of presiding officers.

"I hope a consensus can be evolved ... I will remain hopeful unless they (Opposition leaders) convey to me that they do not want a consensus.'' On Monday, Mr. Azad also had a meeting with the Samajwadi Party leaders, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh. "I formally asked them for support to a Congress nominee ... we are supporting parties in Uttar Pradesh and here,'' he commented.

However, the BJP spokesman, V.K. Malhotra, said that his party could think about having its own candidate.

But before that it will talk to some other parties such as the SP, calculate the numbers in the Rajya Sabha, and then take a decision. Mr. Malhotra also said that the Congress had so far not disclosed whom it favoured as its nominee. However, this was rejected by Mr. Azad.

He said that when the Government had offered the Deputy Speaker's post to the BJP, it had not asked who its nominee would be but left it entirely to the party.

Mr. Azad also disclosed that Pawan Bansal would be the Congress' chief whip in the Lok Sabha and V. Narayanasamy has been nominated as the Congress chief whip in the Rajya Sabha.

In response to questions from reporters, Mr. Azad said there were 26 former Ministers who had not yet vacated their government bungalows while 14 to 15 new Ministers were yet to be allotted houses of the category to which they are entitled.

He said the rule was that a former Cabinet Minister, who is also an MP, is entitled to a house one category lower than a current Cabinet Minister.

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