Another point I would like to bring to your notice is that the Drafting Committee has also provided for the continuance of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. This again is bad in spirit. After all when about one hundred or so of Members in the Assembly who enjoy the membership of the Provincial Assembly when their seats are declared vacant, their substitutes will be elected. Now, when one-third or so of the House is being changed, then why force the old Speaker and the Deputy Speaker on the House? We should have said only this much that till the first day of the meeting of the Parliament the Speaker or Deputy Speaker will continue. Thereafter, the Parliament must have the liberty to elect its Speaker or Deputy Speaker afresh. This has always been the custom whenever one Session of Parliament is over and the next comes after re-election. It is their first business to elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. Generally the old ones are re-elected, but then the formality is undergone afresh. I suggest this is bad, on principle that the present Speaker and the Deputy Speaker–without casting any aspersion on any persons; I hope they will be re-elected should be forced on the Parliament. The fact that we put it in the Constitution that they will continue does not speak well of that high office. Theirs is an office endowed with a complete command of confidence of the House. It is not fair that this House should come between the Parliament and its free choice of officers. We should not interfere with the working of the House of Parliament. It will in itself be competent to elect its own Speaker, and the Deputy Speaker when it meets for the first time after the general elections.
