Welcoming the Supreme Court observation on the issue of appointing LOP in Lok Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said that it is a landmark intervention to restore the bipartisan spirit of our democracy.Stating that the recent observation of Supreme Court regarding the importance of LOP in a democracy, is a vindication of Congress Party’s stand, Azad said that the presence of LOP in Lok Sabha will not only lend vigour and vitality to our democratic polity but also give space to the voices as are different from that of the Government.While describing the Government’s obduracy and arrogance on this issue as unfortunate, Azad said that NDA Government has failed to respect the sentiments of public in general and opposition in particular, adding that a rightful status of opposition in a democracy is very elemental to the its sound functioning.
Azad said that NDA Government has been pretentious in denying the position of LOP in Lok Sabha to Congress Party, by giving it a different colour, only to make explicit its authoritarian tendencies of bulldozing its way. Maintaining that this Government is observing its own slogans and statements in breach than practice, Azad said that NDA leaderip’s oft-repeated rhetoric about “consensus” is a am and façade aimed at befooling the people of this country adding further that NDA Government has been exposed by paying lip-service to words like “consensus”.
While observing that new circumstances have emerged and our democratic polity have grown immensely since we became a democracy, Azad said that NDA Government, by taking refuge of a convention that has outlived its life is trying to subvert the appointment of various statutory authorities like Lokpal, CVC, etc under the garb of denying the LOP Status to Congress Party in Lok Sabha.Azad said that not only the denial of LoP in Lok Sabha, but all acts of NDA Government are undoubtedly, aimed at damaging the institutions that have been the strength of our democracy, adding that NDA Government is doing great disservice to this nation by its obdurate ways.While urging the NDA Government to take note of emerging signs and un its obduracy on key issues necessary for maintaining vitality and vibrancy of our democracy, Azad said that NDA Government, instead of being pretentious and insensitive, could try to fulfill its electoral promises of controlling inflation, stopping ceasefire violations, etc. (KNS)