Sir — This refers to the editorial, “No leader of Opposition” (August 21). There have been voices asking the Narendra Modi Government and also lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to be generous in recognising a Congress nominee as the leader of Opposition.
The Congress has claimed that the Modi administration does not want the Opposition in crucial appointment panels where the leader of Opposition is usually a member.
If all through India’s parliamentary history, it has been customary that only a party having at least 10 per cent of the total number of lok Sabha seats, is to be recognised as the leader of Opposition, is the lok Sabha Speaker supposed to ignore itIJ
The maximum that the Government can do at this stage is make a provision in the rulebook that the leader of the largest party in the Opposition will be allowed a position on crucial appointments committees.