Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha

Context

  • Rae Bareli MP is Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, a position that lay vacant for 10 years because no party had numbers equalling a tenth of the strength of the House, which has been by practice a requirement to lay claim to the post.

About Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha

  • The position of Leader of Opposition was officially described in The Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha
  • The Act describes the Leader of Opposition as a “member of the Council of States or the House of the People, as the case may be, who is, for the time being, the Leader in that House of the party in opposition to the Government having the greatest numerical strength and recognised as such by the Chairman of the Council of States or the Speaker of the House of the People”.
  • The LoP occupies a seat in the front row in the House, left to the Chair, and enjoys certain privileges on ceremonial occasions like escorting the Speaker-elect to the rostrum.
  • The LoP is also entitled to a seat in the front row at the time of the Address by the President to both Houses of Parliament.
  • Besides, the LoP is the Opposition’s representative in high-powered committees headed by the Prime Minister for appointment to key posts, like that of the CBI Director, Central Vigilance Commissioner, Chief Information Commissioner, chairperson and members of the NHRC, and the Lokpal.
  • As the Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019, Kharge had claimed that the government had repeatedly tried to keep the Opposition out of selection of the Lokpal, on the grounds that there was no LoP.
  • In order of precedence, the LoPs in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha come at No. 7, along with Union Cabinet ministers, the National Security Advisor, the Principal Secretary to the PM, the Vice-Chairperson of the NITI Aayog, former PMs, and chief ministers.

Source: IE

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