Political leadership of the party has to be its face to the nation as well, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said today amid a fierce debate within the party on who should take the role of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Tharoor, who had earlier openly said that the Congress President Sonia Gandhi should take the responsibility as leader of the party in Lok Sabha putting an end to the system of dual leadership, however, refrained from naming anyone.
"Political leadership of the party has to be the face of the party to the nation as well," party spokesperson Tharoor said at an AICC briefing.
His remarks came with different sections in the party advocating separate choices for the Leader of Opposition.
Congress has recorded its worst-ever performance getting only 44 seats. While there is no problem for Congress in getting the post of Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha as it has the requisite numbers, its ability to get the same in Lok Sabha has come under scrutiny as its tally is much less than 55 required.
However, party leaders have been maintaining that while there are some statutory requirements to get the perks of the Leader of the Opposition, there is "absolutely no legal bar" on the Speaker from naming a leader of the single largest party or group as Leader of the Opposition for functional purposes.
While a number of senior leaders want Sonia Gandhi to take over as the Leader of Opposition, the leaders mentored and given responsibilities by the Congress Vice President want him to lead the pack in the Lower House arguing that it was he, who was the face of the party in the Lok Sabha polls, and hence he should not "shy away" from taking responsibility in difficult times for the party.
There were earlier indications from the party that senior most MP in Lok Sabha and former Parliamentary Minister Kamal Nath could be made Leader of the Opposition.
Those advocating his name suggest that apart from his long experience in Parliament, the BJP may agree on his name than on any of the Gandhis.
However, there are others who feel that a consensus in the party could be built only on Gandhis.
