LS Speaker’s choice: BJP’s Naik or Shiv Sena’s Joshi

Naik met the PM early this morning in his Parliament House chamber. Confirming the meeting, Naik told The Indian Express, ‘‘I am a disciplined soldier of the party and will accept whatever the party decides.’’ After Naik’s one-to-one, Home Minister L K Advani and Mahajan held an hour-long discussion in Vajpayee’s chamber to shortlist the Speaker’s name.

Mahajan met Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi later in the morning with a list of five names: BJP union ministers Jagmohan, Ram Naik and Shanta Kumar, party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra and Shiv Sena’s Manohar Joshi. Two other names floated about: Samata Party leader and Railway Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Leader of the Congress Party in Parliament Shivraj Patil.

While Jagmohan was considered too ‘‘inflexible’’, Shanta Kumar is needed in Himachal Pradesh, where Assembly elections will be held in February 2003, said party sources. Since the BJP leadership had decided that in principle that in the event of the TDP’s refusal, it would retain the Speaker’s post, Joshi’s chances suffered a knock, added sources.

The BJP leadership couldn’t appear to find a substitute for Malhotra as party spokesman either. Malhotra has, in addition, been made chairman of the Committee on Public Undertakings.

By evening, based on feedback from the Congress through informal channels, the options narrowed down to Naik and Joshi. Other Opposition leaders are believed to have endorsed this.

The Opposition tamely conceded to the NDA on the Speaker’s election after the heat generated over Gujarat since the numbers heavily favour the ruling coalition.

At a breakfast meeting of the non-Congress opposition at CPI(M) Somnath Chatterjee’s residence this morning, the view taken by most leaders was that the Opposition should maintain the consensual approach adopted when Balayogi was unanimously elected Speaker and Congress MP P.M. Sayeed Deputy Speaker.

Opposition leaders also decided today that they would maintain the pressure on the Government on the Gujarat issue. Former prime minister Deve Gowda was particularly vocal on the miserable conditions at the refugee camps in Gujarat’s blistering heat. The leaders felt the Government must be made to answer on the relief and rehabilitation measures for the riot victims and the steps being taken to bring the situation back to normal.