Speaker ill,hunt on for ‘quick-fix’ man

Other members on the panel are Shanker Vaghela,Nimben Acharya,Mahendra Mashru and Daulatbhai Desai.

Bhatt’s hospitalisation,however,has once again brought into focus the issue of appointment of a deputy speaker to run the Assembly if the Speaker is unwell.

In fact,the state Congress this week passed a resolution condemning the state government for not filling up the constitutional post of deputy speaker. Congress Legislature party (CLP) demanded that an Opposition MLA be appointed as deputy speaker as was the tradition during the Congress regime in the state.

State Assembly sources said Governor Kamla Beniwal had also taken up the matter with Bhatt some time ago and asked him to appoint a deputy speaker.

Though Bhatt is reported to have discussed the matter with the BJP and Congress leadership,he fell ill before he could take a decision.

But sources say the BJP leadership was not in favour of appointing an Opposition MLA as deputy speaker owing to its bitter experience in 1995 when the then Deputy Speaker Tulsi Dabhi from Congress played a crucial role in effecting a split in the BJP in the absence of Speaker H L Patel,who was not well.

The result was that the BJP government led by Keshubhai Patel was toppled and Shankersinh Vaghela,heading the rival faction of BJP,formed his own government with the Congress support.

Sources say if at all a deputy speaker is to be appointed,the BJP would consider one of its own MLAs for the post rather than obliging the opposition.