Wednesday, March 9 2005 09:39 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren last night (Mar 8, 2005) reiterated that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) would contest for the Speaker's post, but added that efforts would be made to get a consensus candidate who could rise above politics while conducting the Assembly impartially.

"The UPA will field a candidate for the Speaker's post. But efforts will be made to find a consensus candidate who can discharge his duties rising above political feelings and conduct the Assembly in an impartial manner," Soren said last night.

Soren's statement comes hours after his Parliamentary Affairs Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Girinath Singh rejected National Democratic Alliance (NDA's) appeal to allow its candidate Inder Singh Namdhari sail through as Speaker unanimously.

"We know how Namdhari adjourned the House a few years ago when the Government faced imminent defeat in the floor. We cannot forget March 29, 2002 when Namdhari ignored our floor strength," Singh said while rejecting Munda's appeal.

After the NDA chose Namdhari as its Speaker's candidate on Monday (Mar 7, 2005), NDA leader Arjun Munda appealed to all legislators, cutting across party lines, to elect Namdhari unopposed "as he is an experienced legislator having command over legislature proceedings". The Speaker's election is scheduled for March 11.

Girinath Singh also said that the UPA Government would take steps to investigate "shoddy deals" during the previous NDA regime.

"We have already initiated looking into deals in the Road Construction department," Singh told a press conference in Ranchi.

He said that action would be taken if any "irregularities" were found during the previous regime.

Sudesh Mahto, an Independent MLA among the five supporting the NDA, was the Road Construction Minister in the previous Arjun Munda Government.

Singh said as all the UPA partners had made corruption a major poll plank, "it is our duty to reach to the bottom and let the people know about it."