Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan feels the House can change the rules regarding recognising the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the absence of any party getting the minimum ten per cent of the total strength for the purpose.
‘The Speaker does not have any personal discretion. A Speaker is supposed to follow rules. I have to go by rules. There are ‘Directions of the Speaker’ which mandate ten per cent strength for a party in Lok Sabha to be recognised as Leader of the Opposition.
‘If anybody wants a change in them, then a committee can be formed to look into them. But I need to follow the rules. I cannot do any thing on this,’ Mahajan told a news agency.
She said that her decision on granting the status of LoP to any party was on the basis of the directions, which guide the functioning of the Lok Sabha chief, and precedents followed by others.
‘The directions of the Speaker are very clear to decide on the LoP. I also took legal opinion
before deciding on the matter,’ the Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said.
‘The Speaker does not have any personal discretion. A Speaker is supposed to follow rules. I have to go by rules. There are ‘Directions of the Speaker’ which mandate ten per cent strength for a party in Lok Sabha to be recognised as Leader of the Opposition.
‘If anybody wants a change in them, then a committee can be formed to look into them. But I need to follow the rules. I cannot do any thing on this,’ Mahajan told a news agency.
She said that her decision on granting the status of LoP to any party was on the basis of the directions, which guide the functioning of the Lok Sabha chief, and precedents followed by others.
‘The directions of the Speaker are very clear to decide on the LoP. I also took legal opinion
before deciding on the matter,’ the Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said.