The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman’s post could go to the Congress, whose stake to the leader of Opposition (loP) in the lok Sabha’s position continues to remain undecided and the likelihood of party getting it looking remote.
There is also no assurance from the Government whether the loP in Rajya Sabha will be accommodated in the decision-making process relating to key appointments like lokpal in the absence of the Congress not getting the loP’s post in the lower House.“I want to take Opposition into confidence on PAC. I am in favour of giving it to the main Opposition (Congress),” Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said in an interview on Thursday.
Asked whether the Deputy Speaker’s post will go to the Congress, he said, “Who among the Opposition, I am holding discussions. We will take a decision during the course of the Budget session.”Naidu did not want to discuss the issue of whether the leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha would be included in the Committees that will decide the candidates for lokpal and other statutory bodies in case there is no recognised leader of the Opposition from the lok Sabha.
“leader of the Opposition is not in my domain. It is for the law Ministry,” he said in reply to a question on the subject. He said there are precedents about the issue of the leader of the Opposition.“The Speaker will examine this. How I can say on behalf of the Speaker. If any party had more than 10 per cent of seats in the House, the issue would have been settled automatically straightaway. It is for the Speaker to take a call.”
The humiliating drubbing the Congress received in the recent lok Sabha polls led its tally to an ever-time low of 44, falling short of the 54-figure mark or 10 per cent of the total strength of the House to be eligible for the loP’s post.The Parliamentary Affairs Minister said the Standing Committee on Finance goes to Opposition. Congress, AIADMK, TMC, BJD, major opposition parties. I am in the process of consulting.