The battle between the Congress and the
Bharatiya Janata Party over the post of Leader of the Opposition is likely to
intensify with Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi, on a reference from Speaker
Sumitra Mahajan, holding that the Congress was not eligible for the status.
Mr. Rohatgi said the Congress
lacked the requisite one-tenth strength of the Lok Sabha (55 in a House of 545).
The Congress, which has 44 MPs, has been demanding the post on the ground that
it would be undemocratic to deny the status to the largest opposition party. Mr.
Rohatgi’s opinion is not binding on the Speaker.
The Congress-BJP spat over
the issue is not merely political. The Leader of the Opposition, which is of
the rank of a Cabinet Minister, is a member of panels that select candidates
for key Constitutional posts.
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