Speaker Protem row flares up as 3 Opposition MPs may refuse to join panel assisting Bhartruhari Mahtab

As the row over the appointment of the new Speaker Protem, Opposition sources reportedly said on Saturday that Suresh Kodikunnil, Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu and Sudip Bandyopadhyay may not join the panel of chairpersons to assist Speaker Protem Bhartruhari Mahtab in administering the oath to the newly elected members of the Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, the India Express reported that the Opposition's INDIA bloc is likely to "reject the role given to Suresh and two other Opposition MPs to assist Mahtab in administering oath to the new members".

The reports emerge amid the NDA government and the INDIA bloc sparring on the issue of Pro-tem Speaker.

On June 20, as the Speaker Protem under Article 95(1) of the Constitution to perform the duties of Speaker till election of the Speaker.

She also appointed Congress MP Suresh Kodikunnil, DMK MP Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu, TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay and BJP MPs Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste to assist Speaker Protem in "Oath/Affirmation to newly elected Members of 18th Lok Sabha till election of the Speaker".

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh was quick to object to the appointment of the Speaker pro-tem, highlighting that "by convention, the MP who hasfor the first two days when the oath is administered to all newly elected MPs."

The Congress leader said the seniormost MPs in the 18th Lok Sabha are Kodikunnil Suresh (Congress) and Virendra Kumar (BJP), who are both now serving their 8th term.

"The latter is now a Union Minister and hence it was expected that Kodikunnil Suresh would be the Speaker Protem," Ramesh said in a post on June 20.

Congress leader KC Venugopal described the overlooking of Suresh's claim to the Pro-tem Speaker post as an attempt at "destroying parliamentary