AIADMK mulls deputy speaker offer to Thambidurai

CHENNAI: The NDA government's decision to offer the deputy speaker post to AIADMK leader M Thambidurai has put chief minister J Jayalalithaa in a dilemma. If she accepts the post, the AIADMK will be left without a strong floor leader in the Lok Sabha. So the AIADMK is doing a double think.
Thambidurai, 67, is the only experienced member in the party with 34 of the 37 MPs being first timers.Two other members - Trichy MP P Kumar and Tiruvallur MP Venugopal - are second-time MPs.
Jayalalithaa is said to be weighing the pros and cons before officially announcing Thambidurai's name as the party's choice. "Thambidurai and Maitreyan are the two leaders who have been lobbying for the party in the national capital. Though there is no norm or rule that the deputy speaker should not participate in the debates, the deputy speakers in the recent past like Karia Munda avoided debates," a senior AIADMK leader said, adding, "BJP has conveyed the message to Jayalalithaa that the party is willing to allot the deputy speaker post to AIADMK. If there are no demands or conditions from BJP, then she is likely to accept it." The post was lying vacant after the election of senior BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan as Speaker of the House. The move to give the post to AIADMK is seen as a goodwill gesture towards Jayalalithaa and also a bid to split the opposition ranks.
Political observers also note that Jayalalithaa and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been maintaining a good rapport after he assumed charge. In her recent letters, Jayalalithaa appreciated Modi government's efforts on the release of Tamil Nadu fishermen from Sri Lanka. Similarly, she welcomed the Union budget and appreciated the government's initiatives.
Thambidurai was first elected to the 8th Lok Sabha in 1984. He served as deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha during 1985-89 Congress government. He served as Union cabinet minister for law, justice and company affairs and minister of surface transport (additional charge) in the Vajpayee-led NDA government during 1998 and 1999. He was elected as leader of AIADMK parliamentary party in 2009.