Michael Lobo said he wanted to be the chief minister of Goa
Goa Assembly's acting Speaker Michael Lobo Thursday said he would prefer to be the Chief Minister if given a chance by his party BJP instead of becoming a full-time Speaker.
His comments came ahead of election for the Speaker's post in the upcoming monsoon session of the Assembly.
The post of Speaker fell vacant after incumbent Pramod Sawant was elected the Chief Minister following the demise of Manohar Parrikar on March 17.
Mr Lobo was elected the deputy speaker in March 2017 after the BJP-led government came to power in the state. He has been officiating as the acting Speaker after Mr Sawant took over as the chief minister.
"As acting Speaker, I have got an opportunity to be the Speaker of the House and I don't want to continue to hold this post.
"I have told my party (BJP) that I am not in the race for the post of Speaker," Mr Lobo said while talking to reporters in his chamber.
"The Speaker means you have to be very neutral. You cannot take up issues of general public. You can only call government officers and get work done from them.
"You cannot raise issues in the assembly, you cannot raise issues outside the assembly," said the BJP legislator known for issue-based attack on his own government.
Mr Lobo said the Speaker is a neutral position and when someone assumes that office he has to be impartial.
He said a senior member of the House should take up that position and then revealed his chief ministerial ambition.
"I wanted to become the CM. The party has not done it. I am still waiting that they will do it," Mr Lobo said.
The MLA said he does not want to become the Speaker even if the BJP forces him to take up the constitutional post.
"If the party forces me to become the CM, I will be ready, but if the party forces to become the Speaker I won't. I am happy as deputy speaker," he added.