Former lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee has said that the lok Sabha Speaker should designate a member of the lower House of Parliament as leader of the Opposition, even if “there is no clear applicable rule”.
Perhaps Mr Chatterjee would not have said so if the BJP had been routed in the general election and had, therefore, faced a similar problem in Parliament. Had the post of leader of the Opposition not enjoyed the status of a Cabinet Minister, the Congress would not have persistently raised the pitch. Power and position are the focal points of attraction.
If the hitch in designating a loP has to be removed, a suitable amendment must be made in the Constitution. This is not possible unless the NDA Government agrees to it. If the present situation had stared at the BJP, the Congress and its allies would have never given the loP status to that party. Nothing prevents the Opposition from raising its voice against the Government whenever it feels, even without a loP.