New Delhi:Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday reached out to Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay on the eve of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, amid a face-off with the opposition INDIA bloc over the appointment of BJP leader Bhartuhari Mahtab as the pro-tem Speaker.
Rijiju's meeting with Bandyopadhyay came against the backdrop of the opposition alliance's decision to pull out its members from the panel of chairpersons that will assist Mahtab in conducting the proceedings of the Lok Sabha till the election of the Speaker on Wednesday. Bandyopadhyay, who was among the three opposition members named to the panel of chairpersons in the Lok Sabha, told Rijiju that he would be unable to join the panel and stuck with the decision taken by the INDIA bloc.
"Met Sudip Bandyopadhyayji, leader of All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party. Sudip da has a long-standing Parliamentary career and he is known for his calm and dignified conduct in the Parliament. The 18th Lok Sabha will hugely benefit from his experiences," Rijiju said on X. Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu had appointed Mahtab, a seven-term Lok Sabha member from Cuttack, as the Pro-tem Speaker.
The President had also named Kodikunnil Suresh (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK), Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste (both BJP) and Bandyopadhyay to the panel of chairpersons to assist Mahtab.
The Congress had taken objection to Mahtab's appointment, contending that the claim of eight-term member Suresh, a Dalit leader, was overlooked. The INDIA bloc has said opposition leaders Suresh, Baalu and Bandopadhyay will not join the panel of chairpersons as a mark of protest.