NEW DELHI: The Congress has formally submitted to the Lok Sabha Speaker its demand on the post of Leader of Opposition, a move that came on Thursday after the party sensed reluctance on part of the BJP-led NDA government as well as the Speaker.
The party has also indicated that the 16th Lok Sabha could witness its first disruption of business by the Opposition during the budget session next week if the government and the Speaker refuse to accept its demand. The party is also keeping the option of approaching the court in case the post is not allotted to it.
The Congress is planning to argue that the government has been plotting to deny it the post with an aim to avoid the Leader of the Opposition’s say or scrutiny — something required as per a recent legislation — in the appointment of
sensitive posts such as Lokpal and Central Vigilance Commissioner. As a first step towards building the political case, senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Jyotiraditya Scindia met Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Thursday with the party’s demand for the post.
The NDA government maintains that since Congress has only 44 Lok Sabha members it is not entitled to the post, citing a ruling by the first Lok Sabha Speaker that made it mandatory that the single largest Opposition party should have a minimum of 10% seats of the House (55) to be eligible for the post. The government has also pointed out that many previous Congress governments stuck to this norm and denied the post to the Opposition.
Mahajan recently said she would take a decision on the Congress demand after studying the rules, regulations and precedents.Congress argues that the norm about a minimum 10% seats stands overtaken by ‘The Salary and allowances of the Leaders Of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977, And Rules Made There under (as amended up to December, 2002)’, according to which “the single largest opposition party is eligible for the LOP’s post”.
Source: Economic Times