Govt will be happy to have a recognised leader of opposition in Lok Sabha: Naidu

Asserting that the issue of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha was in the "exclusive domain" of the Speaker, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said the government would be happy to have a recognised LoP in the House like in the Rajya Sabha.

Hitting out at Congress, Naidu accused the party of running a campaign in the media casting aspersions on the Speaker and claiming that the government did not want a Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. He criticised Congress leader Kamal Nath for his remarks that the decision of the Speaker in the matter would be "flavoured" by the view of the BJP government.

Naidu said that he regretted that even without formally staking claim, some Congress leaders were talking of going to courts on the issue. Cautioning Congress against denigrating institutions, the Union Minister said he will leave it to their wisdom. He said presiding officers will take an appropriate view on such matters based on established precedence and conventions and no one should cast aspersions on the offices of the presiding officers.

"The issue of Leader of Opposition is in the exclusive domain of the Speaker, and neither BJP nor NDA government has any role in the matter," Naidu said.

He also appealed to the Congress in taking up the discussion on price rise in the Lok Sabha. Defending his government on the price rise issue, Naidu said how can anyone hold a six-week government responsible for the sustained high inflation and price rise for the last ten years.