New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Tuesday rejected Congress’ demand for Leader of Opposition post in the House. The Speaker told Congress that they do not have the mandatory 10% seats in Lok Sabha required for the post.
In her ruling, the Speaker said one has to be a recognised party having 55 members in the House. But the Congress does not fulfil this criterion.
Congress with 44 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha has emerged as the second largest party after BJP’s 282 but fell short by 11 to be granted the LoP for which requires a strength of 55.              Â
However, Congress has been claiming that the pre-poll alliance of UPA had secured 56 seats and, therefore, it had the right to be the Leader of the Opposition.
“There was no LoP in 1980 and also in 1984,†Mahajan said.  The Speaker cited the Attorney-General’s recommendations while giving the decision.
Earlier on Monday, Mahajan had said she would follow the rules of the House while deciding on the issue.
“The Speaker does not have any personal discretion and supposed to follow rules. There are ‘Directions of the Speaker’ which mandate 10% strength to be recognised as Leader of the Opposition,†Mahajan had said in her first detailed reaction on the issue.