Sanjay Raut says INDIA bloc will try to back TDP if it contests LS speaker's post

Sanjay Raut/ PTI

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said that the opposition INDIA bloc will seek to support the ruling ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP) if it fields a candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker's election. Raut, per a PTI report, speaking to the reporters emphasised on the importance of the upcoming polls for Lok Sabha speaker's post.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, according to the news agency report, expressed concern that if the BJP secures the position, it might destabilise parties backing the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance including the TDP, JD(U), and the parties of Chirag Paswan and Jayant Chaudhary.

Taking a potshot at the BJP over their soured alliance, Raut claimed, "We have the experience that BJP betrays the people who support it."

He stated, "I hear the TDP wants to field its candidate. If that happens, INDIA bloc partners will discuss the issue and will try to ensure that all the INDIA alliance partners extend support to the TDP."

Raut also stated that, under the regulations, the opposition should be appointed deputy speaker. He expressed concerns about the stability of the current NDA government, reported PTI.

The report quoted Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut commenting on recent statements by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) officials against the BJP following the Lok Sabha elections, Raut said it was encouraging if the RSS sought to correct past mistakes. "We are keeping a watch over the unfolding developments," he stated.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was voted leader of the NDA Parliamentary Party, the BJP Parliamentary Party, and the BJP leader in the Lok Sabha at a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) gathering in Parliament's Central Hall on June 7, the report added.

"The BJP parliamentary party meeting did not take place. If the issue of leadership had come in the BJP parliamentary meeting, the result may have been different. So, Modi was elected leader in the NDA parliamentary meeting. This is a serious matter," he claimed.

Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that BJP allies Nitish Kumar and N Chandrababu Naidu were dissatisfied with their cabinet positions. Speaking to reporters, Raut used the phrase "bhatakti aatma" (wandering restless spirit), which Prime Minister Modi had used to describe NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, alleging that this restless soul would not stop until the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra were ousted.

With agency inputs