Priyanka Tiwari
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Power shifts in the Congress party have hindered appointing any of the Leaders of Opposition (LoP), and Congress has not reached an agreement on appointing a LoP for Laguna either. This has a heavy impact on many government functions where the counterpart is required such as critical appointments to statutory positions.
The ruling BJP government led by Nayab Singh Saini and allying with several other parties to garner 48 seats out of the 90 in the assembly last election is trying to find other freelance solutions to fill in the gap. Congress is still sitting on 37 seats in the assembly but has still not made a replacement for the head of the legislative party which is essential for appointing a LoP.
Saini Government Considers Legal Advice
In a statement to the media, CM Saini has openly said that the state government would be getting in contact with the advocate general. “Appointments cannot be delayed indefinitely. If needed, we will take action,” is what he replied when asked about appointments.
The newly elected President of Institute Badoli shared the state concerns saying sooner or later the Congress should make up it's mind. “The government has to run. It cannot stop due to the dispute within the opposition’s headquarter,” he said.
Key Posts Waiting for Selection
Lack of an LoP is disabling the functioning of many selection panels, particularly those covering the appointment of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) along with 10 Information Commissioners. These positions are still unfilled while the State Information Commission has a backlog of more than 7,200 pending RTI cases.
Congress sources suggest that with the leadership issue still not internally agreed, the final call will take weeks at best. In spite of that, the party stresses the government is always free to convene any meeting with a senior opposition member regardless of their party affiliation.
Similar Legal Case in Jharkhand
The BJP also had to contend with a similar problem when it stalled on naming its LoP for Jharkhand. The Supreme Court stepped in and ordered the party to appoint a head in a fortnight. As a result of legal wrangling about the non-appointing of information bodies in the state, the BJP did so, appointing Babulal Marandi as the LoP in March.
