AP speaker rules out LoP status for Jagan, terms it ‘unreasonable desire’
The speaker made it clear that for an individual to be recognised as the leader of opposition, his / her party must have one-tenth of the total strength of the assembly, which is 18 members
VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly speaker Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu on Wednesday said the demand of YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy that he be given the status of Leader of Opposition (LoP) cannot be considered.
Ayyanna Patrudu described it as an “unreasonable desire.”
The 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly has 135 TD members, 21 Jana Sena MLAs, 11 YSRC legislators and eight BJP members.
The speaker made it clear that for an individual to be recognised as the leader of opposition, his / her party must have one-tenth of the total strength of the assembly, which is 18 members.
He maintained that it will be inappropriate to grant such a status solely based on discretion.
“The unreasonable desire of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for recognition as the leader of opposition cannot be considered,” Ayyanna Patrudu ruled.
He underscored that only the speaker has the authority to recognise the LoP, strictly based on constitutional provisions, legal mandates and established precedents.
He stated that if two or more opposition parties in the House have the same numerical strength, the speaker will recognise one of the leaders from those parties as the LoP.
“The speaker’s decision will be final and conclusive,” Ayyanna Patrudu maintained.
He highlighted that successive presiding officers in the Parliament and various state legislatures have preferred to be guided by the direction issued by G.V. Mavalankar, the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha. He ruled that to be made a leader of opposition, the person’s party must have strength equal to the quorum fixed for the sitting of a House, that is, one-tenth of the total number of members of the house.
“This well-established direction has been consistently honoured by both the Parliament and various state legislatures, including the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly,” he said.
Referring to certain recent media reports, the minister said they have falsely claimed that the High Court has issued directions to the speaker pertaining to the LoP demand. He pointed out that Jagan Mohan Reddy’s writ petition in the High Court seeking LoP status has not even been admitted as of today.
