Congress accuses government of playing 'petty politics' over Leader of Opposition issue

NEW DELHI: Asserting that the post of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha is its "right", Congress today accused the government of playing "petty politics" over the issue and hoped Speaker Sumitra Mahajan will not allow her judgement to be "coloured" by various shades of politics.

"The post of LoP is a right of the Congress. It is not for the government to give it to us. It is important, inherent and necessary for the proper functioning of a Parliamentary democracy.

"Both as the biggest party and also the biggest pre-poll alliance other than the ruling alliance, Congress is a natural claimant for the post of LoP," party spokesperson Randip Surjewala told reporters here.

Alleging that the government is playing petty politics over an important issue like LoP, he said, "Government of India needs to rise above partisan politics" and hoped that Speaker Mahajan will "not allow her judgement to be coloured" by various shades of politics.

Surjewala, however, evaded a direct reply when asked whether the party will approach court if denied the LoP post in Lok Sabha. "We will cross the bridge when we reach there," was his refrain to repeated questions on the issue.

Surjewala's remarks came after the government today hit out at Congress for targeting the Speaker over the LoP status issue and said such attacks reflected the "desperation" of Congress. The government claimed it was the "people's mandate" that Congress should not even get the LoP post.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Prakash Javadekar said that "casting aspersions" on the Speaker was "outrageous, condemnable and unacceptable", adding, "If people have not given them mandate to rule, people have not even chosen 55 of them, what can we do? How can we help?"

His statement came close on the heels of Congress leader Amarinder Singh alleging that no decision by the Speaker on the issue of Leader of Opposition till now has raised fears that she could be "influenced" by the government.