But who is the leader of the opposition? Why has there been no leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha since 2014? Why is the Congress likely to get this post? The lie is in the statistics.
Who is the leader of the opposition?
The Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest opposition party. The post was not recognised until 1969, when Ram Subhag Singh became the first recognised Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
The post received statutory recognition through the Salaries and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977.
The Act defines ‘Leader of the Opposition’ as a member of the House of the People or the Council of States who is for the time being the leader of the party in opposition to the Government, which is the largest in that House and as recognised by the Chairman of the House of the People or the Speaker of the House of the People.
Who gets the post of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha?
Although there may be many political parties in the opposition, the post of Leader of the Opposition is given to the party which gets one-tenth of the total members in the Lok Sabha.
According to this rule, since there are 543 members in the Lok Sabha, a political party will need 55 members to appoint the Leader of the Opposition.
The Institute of Secretariat Training and Management has mentioned in one of its booklets that the recognition of the Leader of the Opposition is given by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha – “Provided the largest opposition party has a minimum of 55 MPs in the House.”,
The Institute is managed by the Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India.
However, there is no 10 per cent rule mentioned in the Leader of Opposition in Parliament Act for the appointment of the Leader of Opposition.
Why was there no leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha in the last 10 years?
Simply because no political party other than the ruling party was able to secure the minimum number of Lok Sabha seats required to nominate the Leader of the Opposition.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the Congress emerged as the second-largest party with 52 seats. This was three less than the expected number. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Congress, which was again the second-largest party, won 44 Lok Sabha seats – much less than the expected number.
Why will Congress get the post of Leader of Opposition this time?
This time, the Congress emerged as the largest party in the Indian bloc (opposition) by winning 99 Lok Sabha seats – easily surpassing the 55 members mark required for a political party to appoint a Leader of the Opposition.
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said on Thursday that the Congress will decide on the appointment of the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha as it has the highest number of seats among the Bharat Bloc parties in the lower house of Parliament. “Once the Congress takes a decision, it will need the consent of our (Bharat) Bloc,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.
Who can be the leader of the opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha?
There is speculation that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi may hold an important position in the 18th Lok Sabha.
The Congress Working Committee has passed a resolution urging Rahul Gandhi to accept the role of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. According to news agency PTI, Rahul Gandhi has sought time to convey his decision.
Apart from Rahul Gandhi, the names of Manish Tewari, Kumari Selja and Gaurav Gogoi are also doing the rounds for the post of Leader of Opposition.
How important is the leader of the opposition?
According to a booklet on “Indian Parliament”, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha has been described as a “shadow Prime Minister with a shadow Cabinet”.
If the ruling government resigns or is defeated in the House then the leader of the opposition will take charge of the administration.
“Since the parliamentary system is based on mutual toleration, the Leader of the Opposition allows the Prime Minister to govern and in turn is allowed to oppose. His active role in the smooth running of the proceedings of the House is as important as that of the government,” the booklet reveals.
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Published: June 22, 2024, 06:10 AM IST
