Onus lies on Speaker to decide Leader of Opposition status

New Delhi: The Attorney-general Mukul Rohatgi noted that there was no precedent in which a party lacking such strength had been given the Leader of Opposition status.

After repeated demands from the Congress, Lok Sabha Speaker Ms Sumitra Mahajan had said she would seek the opinion of legal and constitutional experts, besides other experienced persons, before taking a final call on the matter.

Sources said that in his detailed opinion, the A-G had reasoned that a party must have a strength equal to the quorum of the House, which is 10 per cent (55 out of 545 members).
Also, the A-G noted there was no precedent since the days of the first Lok Sabha, when Jawaharlal Nehru was Prime Minister.

While the Speaker will now have to take a decision, that will necessarily be a political one, the A-G has also qualified his opinion by noting that conventions did not bar any party from making demands even though there was no legal backing for it.