‘Hypocrisy-laden…’: Congress attacks PM over consensus remark amid Lok Sabha Speaker row

After NDA and INDIA failed to reach a consensus to appoint the Lok Sabha Speaker unanimously, the Congress party attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his “hypocrisy-laden pravachan” on consensus and cooperation over the post.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh slammed PM Modi for making the appointment of the Speaker a “contest”, saying that the 2024 Lok Sabha election was a personal, political and moral defeat for the prime minister.

“Barely 24 hours after his hypocrisy-laden pravachan on consensus and cooperation the non-biological PM has made a contest for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker inevitable. Convention has been that the Speaker is elected unanimously and the Deputy Speaker's post goes to the Opposition,” Ramesh posted on X.

“The non-biological PM has broken this tradition. It is actually no surprise. He has still not woken up to the reality of the 2024 poll verdict which was a PPM defeat for him--personal, political and moral,” the Congress leader added.

Ramesh's comments come a day after PM Modi said that the government will try to build consensus in order to fulfil the dreams and aspirations of the people of India.

“In the last 10 years, we have always tried to implement a tradition because we believe that a majority is required to run the government but to run the country a consensus is of utmost importance. So, it will be our constant efforts to serve Maa Bharti and fulfill the aspirations and ambitions of the 140 crore people, with everyone's consent and by taking everyone together. We want to go ahead and speed up decisions by taking everyone together, by maintaining the sanctity of the Constitution,” the prime minister said on Monday.

The BJP-led Centre and Opposition INDIA alliance attempted to reach a consensus to elect the Lok Sabha Speaker unanimously, but the Opposition bloc decided to field 8-time MP K Suresh for the post. His nomination followed the filing of a nomination by BJP's Kota MP, Om Birla.

On the nomination of K Suresh for the Lok Sabha Speaker post, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that his candidature was important to “save democracy and to save the dignity of the House.”

“The Prime Minister says one thing and does something else, yesterday he said about consensus and today he is not ready to give even the post of Deputy Speaker, so if the same ego remains as before, then our struggle to save democracy and to save the dignity of the House will continue and that is why we have put Suresh's (candidature) from our side. It is a fight to tell the country that the opposition is aware, the opposition is vigilant…,” the Congress MP said.

This will be the first time that elections will be held for the Speaker of the lower house. Since independence, the Lok Sabha Speaker and deputy Speaker have been elected by consensus between the ruling party and the Opposition.

The election for the post will be held on June 26.