Rahul Gandhi not sole opposition PM candidate: Tejashwi Yadav
Patna, July 24 : RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday said that Congress President Rahul Gandhi is not the only leader from the opposition in the race for the Prime Minister's post.
"All the opposition parties will sit together to decide the name of the Prime Ministerial candidate. Rahul Gandhi is not the only leader in the race for it," the former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister said here.
"There are other opposition leaders like (West Bengal Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee, (Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister) Chandrababu Naidu, (NCP chief) Sharad Pawar and (BSP leader) Mayawati," he said.
Tejashwi Yadav made it clear that he and his Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) would support anyone who is named the Prime Ministerial candidate by a united opposition.
"Our main concern is that opposition parties will name a leader who will save the Constitution. Rahul Gandhi may be that leader."
"Rahul Gandhi has to unite all non-BJP parties for a strong grand alliance," he added, adding that the Congress had a pan-India presence.
The RJD leader, who heads the opposition in the Bihar Assembly, said the Prime Ministerial post was not an issue and there were "several real issues that matter for the country".
The RJD is a major ally of the Congress and Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav have always strongly backed Rahul Gandhi.
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Resolution seeking removal of Om Birla as Speaker defeated by voice vote in Lok Sabha
New Delhi (PTI): The resolution seeking the removal of Om Birla as Speaker was on Wednesday defeated in Lok Sabha by a voice vote.
Amid protests and sloganeering by the opposition seeking an apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Jagdambika Pal, who was in the chair, announced that the no-confidence motion was defeated.
Pal urged the opposition to take their seats so that he could put the motion to vote. But as the protests continued, he sought the vote of the House and the resolution was rejected by a voice vote, following which he adjourned the House for the day.
Earlier, the home minister hit out at the opposition for bringing the motion for the removal of Birla as Speaker.
The opposition objected to certain remarks of Shah and started shouting slogans, disrupted the proceedings and sought an apology from him.
Responding to the two-day-long debate, Shah asserted that the House will be run by its own rules and not by the rules of a party.
"It is not an ordinary occurrence as after nearly four decades, such a motion has been brought against the speaker," he said.
The home minister said it was unfortunate for parliamentary politics that some opposition parties were questioning the integrity of the speaker.
Shah said the BJP has been in the opposition for the longest period of time, but the party has never brought a no-confidence motion against any speaker.
"According to the established history of this House, its proceedings are conducted on the basis of mutual trust. The speaker serves as a neutral custodian, representing both the ruling party and the opposition. It is unfortunate for parliamentary politics that a resolution for the removal of the speaker has come," he said.
Shah said the opposition raised questions on Birla's integrity and contended that it was akin to questioning the country's democratic processes.
Birla was not present in the House during the entire period of the debate.
