By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 24: The Meghalya Assembly is navigating a delicate balance between tradition and the need for a responsive, effective opposition — the essence of a healthy democracy in state.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) parliamentary party leader Mukul Sangma on Saturday stressed on upholding convention as the Assembly Speaker decides on the next leader of Opposition.
Replying to a query on who should be the next Opposition leader, he said, “There is a well-practiced convention, considered based on the very tradition and practice of the House. I don’t find any ambiguity. The whole responsibility is vested with the Speaker.”
He said there are treasury and opposition benches in the Assembly to create a democratic system of governance so that the government or the parties in power are always under watch and scrutiny in the best interest of the state.
“Parameters should be followed to make democracy more vibrant and more effective so that people have trust in the system,” the former chief minister said.
“We have seen what happened in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The situations there did not erupt overnight. People must have trust and confidence in the system,” he added.
According to reports, the TMC is likely to get the post of leader of Opposition. Mukul and party’s state chief Charles Pyngrope are the frontrunners.
The normal criterion is that an opposition party has to have one-tenth of the strength of the House (six in Meghalaya’s case) to get the post of leader of Opposition. Another criterion is that the post always goes to the most senior member of the House which, in this case, is Mukul.
When Ronnie V Lyngdoh was appointed the leader of the Opposition, the Congress had five MLAs. He is the only Congress MLA left with three having joined the National People’s Party while Saleng Sangma got elected to the Lok Sabha.
This has necessitated a change of face in the post of leader of Opposition. The TMC has five MLAs while the Voice of the People Party has four.
