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In remarks that could fuel a fresh controversy, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath on Sunday said Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's decision on the issue of Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha could be “flavoured” by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Insisting there was no rule that says a party cannot get LoP status unless it has 10 per cent of the total strength of the 543-member Lok Sabha, the former parliamentary affairs minister said, though a Speaker is generally neutral, when it comes to dealing with parliamentary processes, it could be different in a contentious situation.
“We know the Speaker is from the BJP... Speaker is appointed by a political party... when it is a contentious situation... It (the decision on LoP) will be flavoured by the BJP and Modi,” Nath told Karan Thapar on Nothing but the truth programme on Headlines Today.
He was replying to a question on why he was raising fingers on the intention of the government in this matter when the decision on LoP will be taken by the Speaker. While hastening to add that what he said “Does not mean that she is acting on the behest of somebody”, Nath insisted, “But there is always a flavour”.
He also said if the Speaker rules against the Congress on the LoP issue, it would be right and proper for the Congress to go to the court. “Certainly, we must. It should be one of the options,” he said.
At the same time, he said Congress won’t retaliate or be obstructive in Parliament simply because the LoP status was denied to it, as party president Sonia Gandhi would not like the party to be retaliatory on the matter.
Nath also vehemently countered the contention that Rahul Gandhi was reluctant to take responsibility and cited instances from the past 30 years when the Leader of the House of a party and its President were two different persons.
Responding to questions about party veteran A K Antony's remarks that the proximity of the Congress to minority communities had led people to doubt its secularism, Nath said if there was any such perception, “Congress must correct it.”
“If Congress' version of secularism is perceived as a slant towards Muslims, Congress needs to portray it correctly... we need to stand up and say that we are not slanting,” he said. According to Nath, when Congress talks about secularism, it is known and minorities believe it.
"Perhaps Antonyji wanted to say secularism alone cannot be the only slogan of Congress," he said, adding the party has always been standing for secularism and does not need to rub it in all the time.
