The opposition INDIA bloc is reportedly mulling over a rotation system in the practice of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lower House of Indian Parliament, Lok Sabha, said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday. This speculation comes at a time when the BJP has questioned Rahul Gandhi’s suitability for the job. This is according to Bansuri Swaraj, a BJP member of parliament for New Delhi, who noted that there are many qualified leaders among the opposition who could perform this task.
Swaraj reiterated that the INDIA bloc will decide on who will be rotating the leadership, stating that it is an internal affair. Her comments were made during a press briefing at the BJP headquarters responding to questions on speculation that the opposition parties are in consultative consultation about taking the LoP post on a rotational basis.
It has been observed that the opposition has not come up with a response to the allegations made by the BJP; while choosing the Leader of the opposition, there are some clear-cut parliamentary rules which are followed. It is open only to an MP from the biggest opposition party that has no less than 10 percent of all the seats in the Lok Sabha. At the moment of writing this paper, Rahul Gandhi is the leader of the Congress party since Congress is the biggest opposition party in the House.
Swaraj again emphasized the need for performance reports of leaders in opposition. “Of course, there are many competent leaders in the opposition parties who can be properly equipped for the position of the Leader of Opposition as far as I am concerned,” she said. She said that if the INDIA alliance feels that Rahul Gandhi is not doing what he is expected to do diligently, then they should think again.
The BJP statement shows that there remains constant competition between the ruling and the opposition parties in the buildup to the political contests of the next elections.
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