SHILLONG, April 1: While indecision continues over recognising Leader of Opposition, former Speaker Bindo Mathew Lanong is categorical that the question of not having a Leader of Opposition (LO) in the present House does not arise.
“The LO has to be there. How can the House function without the LO,” Lanong emphasised while talking to The Shillong Times here on Saturday.
When pointed out that Law Minister, Ampareen Lyngdoh ascribed it to a fractured mandate, he said that the LO has to be there whatever may be the case.
Lanong is of the view that it will eventually depend on the discretion of the Speaker.
Earlier, the Law Minister had stated that this question will arise since the three parties in Opposition had not formed a common front.
According to her, this is not an unusual situation adding that several states have seen this.
On the other hand, Lanong felt that the Speaker could refer to the past ruling of the previous Speakers.
But he hastened to add that the Speaker will need to satisfy himself if there is any justification in the ruling of the previous Speaker. “A wrong precedence set by the previous Speaker cannot be repeated,” Lanong observed.
The Rules & Procedures of the Assembly require that to qualify for recognition of LO, there should be a minimum of 10 members group.
It may mentioned that till now the three opposition parties, Congress, TMC and VPP, despite having 14 members, have failed to format an alliance leading to the road block.
Only Congress with five members has sought the LO post for CLP leader RV Lyngdoh.
