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NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has said the Congress will decide on the appointment on the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha as it has maximum seats among the INDIA bloc parties in the Lower House of Parliament.
Asked if efforts will be made to have the Lok Sabha’s deputy speaker from the opposition, Pawar claimed this “rule” was not followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his last government.
“A discussion will take place on that point, but I do not think any fruitful outcome will be there from it,” he said. Pawar was speaking to reporters at Baramati in Maharashtra’s Pune district.
The BJP won 240 seats in the recently held polls to the 543-member Lok Sabha and formed government with its partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Among the opposition INDIA bloc constituents, the Congress bagged the highest 99 seats.
Asked about the appointment of the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Pawar said, “Earlier, we had agreed that the position would go to the party with the highest seats. Today, the Congress has the maximum seats (among opposition parties) in the Lok Sabha, so they will decide who should hold the position.” “After the Congress decides, it will need the consent of our (INDIA) bloc,” he said.
