Leader of the Opposition: Opposition to seek Deputy Speaker’s post, bigger role in house panels

A resurgent Opposition will draw a clear functional line to the government as the condition for the smooth functioning of Parliament in future, including the upcoming budget session. The Opposition leaders said the government this time will have to reinstate the post of the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha and allot it to the main Opposition party of the INDIA bloc. The leaders also said the ruling establishment must also “end riding roughshod” over the Opposition and Parliamentary procedures by rushing through many important Bills without proper discussions and voting, at times even by mass suspension of Opposition MPs.The Opposition leaders said they would also expect the presiding officers — the new Speaker of the Lok Sabha and also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha — to imbibe the letter and spirit of the people’s mandate in the general election and make their Constitutional offices committed to political neutrality and procedural norms.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) will meet on Saturday to review the poll result and hail the party leaders, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul-Sonia-Priyanka trio for their role in the Congress show.

“The Modi government didn’t even care to appoint the Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha during its entire tenure, which was against all norms and conventions. In the previous House (during the first Modi government), the post, which was meant for the Opposition, was allotted to a friendly party (AIADMK) of the ruling establishment. Those days are over and it’s better the government reads it right now, after the election result. If the government again refuses to appoint a Deputy Speaker, especially from the main Opposition bloc, it will be clear that Modi does not want the Parliament to function,” a senior AICC functionary told ET.With the Congress also gaining enough seats this time to qualify for the post of the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, the sentiment in the party, as ET reported on Wednesday, is for Rahul Gandhi to take over as LoP, even though the final decision will be his to take it or to leave it to any colleague. A meeting of the elected Congress members will be held soon.

A meeting of the elected Congress members will be held soon. “As far as the Leader of the Opposition’s post is concerned, it is now the right of the Congress, as the largest Opposition party in the House, to occupy it as we have won much more seats (99) than the required minimum of 55 seats. We don’t need any favour from the government on that issue as it is our legitimate right to hold the LoP’s post,” the person added.
With the difference in seats between the ruling side and the Opposition reduced to just about 60, the Opposition also wants restoration of the sanctity of the Parliamentary panels, including the standing committees, by making their composition, chairmanships and functioning mirror the realities of the new number game in the House.